


𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭

by Dr_shipper



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Content, Angst with a Happy Ending, Babies actually, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Dark Harry, Eventual Smut, Eventual accidental baby acquisition, Good Harry Potter, Happy Ending, Healer Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Humor, M/M, Magical Artifacts, Magical Bond, Magical companions, NSFW, Possessive Harry, Protective Harry Potter, Romantic Soulmates, Tall Harry Potter, Top Harry Potter, Wandless Magic, Warrior Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26802088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_shipper/pseuds/Dr_shipper
Summary: Years ago,What Draco said : " some wizarding families are better than the others, Potter . I can show you"What he meant: "Can we be friends?"Harry: " Get lost !!"Everyone knew that Slytherins were evil and supported the dark lord. Why would Harry want to be friends with someone like that ? Even Ron said so .Years after,Draco:* running away*Harry:   (•_•)Harry: " where do you think you are going, baby? Didn't I tell you to not try that again ? "* Says while tying draco to bed *Draco: " someone save me !"Others:* look away*Afterall, who would want to incur the warth of the chosen one ? No one was a masochist enough for that !A small ripple caused big waves in the present and future destined for both our heroes . Follow them as they go on an adventure to win a war and save their own people . But what happens when an sticky small bun is trotting after them ? And can they truly have peace after winning the war ?Overpowered top Harry X cold pureblood but soft inside bottom Draco ( + a cute little bean , with maybe siblings )[Based in sixth year after Harry harmed Draco with sectumseptra .]
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 68
Kudos: 406





	1. 𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤

In front of Harry lay a boy , the one his eyes always followed , the one whose scowl was buried deeply into his eyes , the one whose name made his whole muscles tighten in awareness , the one who with just one word drew his focus , attention , eyes and thoughts to himself , the one who harry almost burnt to death . 

Draco lay on the wet bathroom floor , the water pooling around him . His own blood seeping out of his burns and mixing in the water beneath . The skin which was moments ago as pale and smooth as jade , now looked red and black with cripples on it like wrinkled cotton . His ragged breath echoed in the enclosed space , serving as a witness to his pain and life seeping away. For an instant , something like relief shone in his eyes . Relief – that he didn't need to suffer anymore , that the act he so much wanted to do but was too scared to perform was , now , gifted to him by someone else . Maybe he thought this was his last deed . Maybe not . No witness was present to tell us ultimately what those emotions in his eyes told . The only other person was too lost to recognise even himself . So the only hope we have is if the person himself survives . Maybe he will tell us .

Harry stared at the Draco . His eyes were blank and his thoughts had the picture of Draco crying before he made his appearance . Harry stumbled back with a jolt as his body was pushed backwards and Snape ran to Draco . His eyes panicked before changing to anger as he looked at Harry , saying , " Have you done enough damage ? If so , please leave , Mr. Potter, and return to your dormitory . " The words were spat out by Snape as his whole being exuded furious anger . He would have hexed Harry if not for the barely breathing Draco . 

These words , as if a spell , finally bought Harry's consciousness back to his head , enabling him to react . He realised that many students had gathered outside out of curiosity about the loud noises . Scared as they already were , this commotion caused by him and Draco drew much attention . He took a step back followed by another and soon his boots were hitting the stone floor one after the other in rapid succession as he ran . His mind was a mess . With disoriented thoughts , confused emotions and a lost sense of direction , he ran . That was all he could do at the moment . Desperate , as if the answer for his erratic turmoil lay just beyond . 

When Harry finally came to a stop , he was exhausted and heaving heavily . His muscles burned and calves wobbled but that did nothing to draw his attention , even temporarily . Harry stood there , as still as a statue , bathing in moonlight spilling out of the huge windows , drowning his body with it . He did not understand what he was feeling , did not understand his own emotions . Was that even possible? Questions jumbled in his head . Why was Draco crying ? What happened ?  
What was he himself feeling ? It was as if the arrows were shot but without an aim .  
Was it guilt that made his throat clog up and heart squeeze ? Guilt ? Sympathy? Anger ? Hate ? Resentment ? ……… No . It was none of these . It was entirely different or maybe a well stirred potion made of all of these . 

Harry sat down on the hard ground , head leaning on the evenly checkered glass of the window beside him . He remembered how broken and helpless Draco looked minutes ago . Body burnt , heart shattered and soul torn , just laying there . Harry did not want to sympathize with him . He did not want to feel guilty . After all , it was Draco who attacked first . He was the one harming and killing people and supporting the dark lord . It was him who bore the mark . Harry was just defending himself . But what he thought and what he saw did not match . Was what he saw true or just another farce ? Regardless of all these speculations , one emotion was still prominent . He wanted to protect Draco . He didn't want Draco to cry . He wanted Draco to be scowling or mocking him just like all those months back , not crying and helpless . He was not the Draco Harry knew . His Draco did not cry alone in the bathroom . He might hate people and bully them but would never try to kill them . No . This was not Draco . With this revelation in his heart , Harry drew up his knees and silently thought about the silver haired bastard whom he liked to call 'Malfoy' . He thought about those times when all that between them was a petty rivalry and not war like it was now . Suddenly , those fights seemed like a privilege to him . They had the power to draw his every thought to them . Maybe it wasn't the fight itself that drew his attention but the person with whom fought . 

The clock ticked away and the silver rays turned to golden ones . It was already the start of another day . With this Harry finally sorted out the jumble in his head and decided to find out the answers from the person himself . He hurriedly made his was to the griffindor common room . On entering he came face to face with Hermione and Ron .

Registering how he looked and remembering the situation last night , Hermione asked ," where were you Harry ? We searched for you all around . Are you okay ? You are not hurt, are you?"

Simultaneously , Ron said ," What was all that last night , mate ? What happened ? "

Ignoring them , Harry remembered Draco's condition last night and asked ,"How is Draco ? Is he fine ? " 

Hearing the anxiety in his voice , Ron frowned and Hermione replied with a horrified face ," His condition was quite bad . He was taken to Madam Pomfrey . Some students were scared about this happening to someone else . " 

Before anyone could say anymore , Harry spoke up ," Hermione , I need to see Draco please help me . I beg you . " 

Harry Potter rarely sounded so desperate . Hermione was confused but she knew this was important . So replied in a serious  
voice ," Right now Snape and Madame Pomfrey are still tending to him . The best time to break in would be at midnight but Snape might still be there . The Dinner might be next best . We could cover up for you with this illusion charm " She took out a small charm in the shape of a human body and lifted it up to show them . 

With the plan ready , the only thing to do now was to wait . The day passed by student questioning Harry about last night and what happened , trying to know everything that was there. But regardless of their efforts , Harry only had the tears sliding off pale cheeks in his thoughts . Dinner soon came . The hallways emptied as students rushed to sate their hunger . 

Harry silently made his way to the infirmary . With the invisibility cloak sneaking out was as easy as breathing . 

Draco was sitting on his bed . A book was floating in front of him but his eyes looked empty . He did not seem to realise Harry's presence even after he took off the cloak . 

Deciding to draw his attention , Harry said ," Malfoy "

Startled , Draco snapped his head towards the voice . His eyes wide after registering Harry . He asked ," What are you doing here , Potter ? " His words were angry but his voice was pained and gruff from the toll he took yesterday. His face into turning into a scowl .

Harry said in a neutral voice ," Why were you crying , Malfoy ? "

Draco stared at Harry , processing what he heard . Not believing that Harry would take it upon himself to interrogate him and even more so after hearing his question. He could not make the head or tail of Harry's question but it was the answer that made his heart squeeze all over again . Seconds passed and Draco eventually came back to himself . " What is it to you ,Potter ? Looking for another chance to show off your heroism ? ", He said in a monotone voice , all the while struggling to get out of bed . To get away from the question , away from Harry .

Harry noticed and forcefully pulled him back on the bed , hand grasping Draco's elbow with a tight grip . Draco tried to pull back and struggled , all the while his other hand searching for his wand . 

Getting closer, Harry asked again ,"Why? "

Draco's struggles increased . At this point , he flailed his arms and legs around , hitting harry , shouting insults at him , doing anything that could help get him free . But all of this could not even budge his captor .

Minutes passed but neither gave up . Draco could feel his muscles weaken due to his lack of energy , could feel Harry's grip bruising his arms . His eyes burned but he did not know if it was from anger or pain at his situation . It was as if years of emotions which were choked up in his heart , all threatened to break free . They were clogging up his throat and pooling in his eyes . The dam he had built around his emotions was starting to overflow . With its opening shut tight , refusing to let even a drop escape , the dam was filled to the brim , threatening to shatter completely . As the first crack appeared , the first drop slid down the sickly pale cheeks . More cracks appeared as more drops fell . Soon a part of the dam fell and a strangled voice echoed the infirmary . As the dam shattered completely, so did the struggles .  
Now the only thing that remained were the tears and cries rushing out of a boy in another boy's arms . 

Harry looked down at Draco . The arms which were moments ago hitting his back in an attempt to break free now tightly held his shirt as Harry tightened his arms around Draco . Harry had got his answers . He got them in the most purest and crudest way .  
He could feel his magic shake with Draco's every cry . He had questioned himself if this was a farce staged to trap him or not . Now he felt his answer . These tears were not a farce . These emotions , this magic around him swirling with desperation, these were not false . Draco did not change but he was pushed to this point . Pushed to the point that he broke . 

Draco did not stop and Harry did not leave . Both too lost , too in pain to even think about letting go of the only anchor present.

Outside the infirmary , two figures stood with their heads down . The taller on holding onto the more petite one as she muffled her cries in his shirt . They were both overwhelmed by the scene . Ron and Hermione had left the dinner early to warn Harry about Professor McGonagall requesting all the professors for an urgent meeting and witnessed this scene after getting here . They were first shocked and then grieving for someone they never thought they would . The figures soon left as it was getting hard to just be there hearing their enemie's cries as he wept on their best friend's chest .

Inside the infirmary , Draco tried to lock up his emotions in his chest again but failed miserably to the constant heat and pressure surrounding him . He did not know what Harry wanted . Did not know why he was still here . He wanted to run away , wanted to stop , but he did not know how . So , for the first time in his life , Draco Malfoy let go . He cried and cried thinking that this might be his only chance he cried on someone's shoulder , let someone know his pain , even if that someone was his enemy for years. There were no words spoken but he knew Harry understood ,maybe he found them false , but at least he understood .

Harry held Draco . Not once loosening his arms . He made no effort to comfort Draco , with actions or words . His head down and chin touching Draco's ear , he stayed in the same position , not moving an inch .

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours as the cries stopped and Draco slumped in Harry's embrace , unconscious from exhaustion . Harry got out of bed and gently laid Draco down and pulled the covers up . He stood at the bedside looking at the puffy eyes and wet cheeks . At that moment something rose in Harry's heart , it was dark , cruel and sinister but it wasn't wrong .

In the silent night , a small whisper was heard by the walls ," Just wait , Malfoy . Just wait "


	2. Puffy , scowly kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Draco's POV with little Harry's POV . Draco feels that what happened that night in infirmary was a dream and is quite sure of it and dismisses it just like that but harry remembers and now he views Draco as innocent but is not entirely sure what Draco really is . All he knows is that Draco does not want to do what he is doing . On the other hand Draco tries his best to find ways to remove dark mark for his mother and other Slytherins in hogward's whom he considers his sworn siblings ,whose parents no longer care if they lived or died . Draco feels this is his responsibility as these people have seen him as their leader consciously or unconsciously for years and now that they have no one to rely on and no political support or guarantee of life , Draco will not leave them alone for the ministry to catch and blame . They are his people , his snakes , after all .

The moon soon disappeared and a new day started . Draco woke up to the fluttering of curtains and warm sunlight on his face .

Madame Pomfrey walked to him with a brand new uniform and with her eyes checking for any discomfort on his body and said ," Mr. Malfoy , you are already healed and can attend your classes . But remember to not tire yourself out and take care of your health . In addition , take this once a day before sleep to regain the lost energy . " 

Saying this , she kept the neatly folded uniform down and walked away to soon return with a bottle of red pills . There were hardly 10 pills inside . Keeping the bottle beside his clothes , she continued ," By the time you empty his bottle , your body will fully recover from the physical injuries and magical deficiency . Now , hurry up . Breakfast will be served within the next hour . " 

Draco hurriedly changes his clothes behind his bed curtains and left the infirmary . He walked towards the Slytherin dormitory . His mind wandered to the events of last night . He was still not clear if it was reality . The bruises on his arms were throbbing but he did not know if it was just the residual psychic sensation from a weird dream or actual pain . 

There was a reason why Draco never asked for help , why he never pursued friendship with people not connected to Voldemort , why he made an enemy of Harry even after growing out of his immaturity . And he was not going to change that anytime soon. Draco was bound in one way or another to all of this that was happening . And he knew that if he kept going the same , he was going to end up in tragedy , if he wanted or not , possibly even lose everything . The only way to be safe was to somehow cut all the connections he had with Voldemort . It seemed almost impossible but he was going to try . He wasn't going to give up just like that .

Last summer he searched through the whole library in Malfoy mansion , wanting to know anything and everything that could help . The pro was that everyone thought that he was doing it to spend the summer away and no-one suspected anything . Con was that it took too much time . 

The first thing he has to do was to find a way to get rid of the dark mark . The library back at the mansion barely had anything . With this option gone , the other option he had was the Hogward's library . The book Draco needed was probably in the restricted section but to get there he needed the permission from a professor , which was nearly impossible . He cannot go to his godfather even if he knew that Snape would never do anything to harm him , still the risk was too great . So , the only other way was to make another professor give him permission . 

Draco's head was running miles per second thinking about this when he realised he had reached the dormitory. He swiftly made his way into his room to change his clothes and groom himself to perfection . He grabbed his books before making his way to the Great Hall for breakfast and took his seat at the Slytherin table beside Blaise . His head was still running in a thousand directions while he piled his plate and made the usual greetings .

No one asked him about his stay at the infirmary . It was an unspoken rule between the Slytherins that privacy is above all . If you need help , you ask for it . No one is going to offer it for free . Being in Slytherin was automatically swearing loyalty to your group and peers . If one goes down , all go down with him . If one rises up , he pulls the rest with him. 

Draco knows that they care and worry and he also wants to tell them but this might unknowingly pull someone totally away from it into the mess , if it spreads . So he keeps his mouth shut as his mates keep giving him glances and stares but do not utter a word . 

The breakfast ends and ' the silver trio' , as they like to call themselves , make their way to their first class . With Blaise on his left and pancy on his right, Draco walked the corridor as if it was a ramp . His lithe body moving like how a leopard had its leisure walks.

Draco felt a sharp gaze on his neck which sent a cold shiver down his back . The feeling of being watched was so intense that it made him scared . He turned around and happened to catch Harry's eyes who turned to Ron and pretended as nothing happened . Seeing Harry , Draco's brain short-circuited and every memory that he forgot for last night came rushing back . His mouth fell open and in his head was running a marathon of " no no no no no no no no no no no NO !!!" He struggled with giving his usual scowl to Harry when he again caught his eyes and this time the dangerous feeling was so strong that he was paralyzed.

Did he really cry on Harry ? Was yesterday really not an absurd dream ? Before Draco was sure that it was a dream , but now met with such a gaze , he wavered and doubted himself . At this moment Draco really wanted to crack Harry's brain open and see what's inside . Maybe even slip poison in his food to ensure the matter hushed once and for all . His doubtful gaze looked at Harry squinting like a cat . He searched for any abnormal signs but found none . Seeing this Draco relaxed slightly , thinking that his pureblood young master , the Malfoy heir and the perfect Slytherin pride was still intact and he did not cry like a princess in the hero's arms in reality . Just thinking that he dreamt this was shameful enough that he could feel his ears burn , the horror of it being reality was too much for Draco to handle , so much so that he would leave the noseless devil to rot to find ways to strangle Harry and bury his body .

Harry had always thought Draco as someone vile , crafty , someone who will grovel at the feet of Voldemort just for power , someone without morals . But what he saw that night had inevitably planted a seed of doubt . He speculated what made Draco do all this . What forced him ? His own life ? His family ? Surely , it might be his mother . Draco was not a self sacrificing person . Harry could not tell what it ultimately was . So he decided to observe Draco for now . See if his speculations were true or not .

Harry kept looking at Draco as he stared at him in a daze . At some point a slight , almost unnoticeable , pink bloomed on his neck and up to his cheeks and ears and at the same time a pair of pale red lips shaped into a full blown scowl directed at Harry with such intensity as if plotting his murder , which Draco was . 

In Harry's brain wheels turned after seeing the scowl . With a slight smirk and bright eyes , Harry relaxed thinking _,' Indeed it was me that made puffy , scowly kitty blush '_ The thought satisfied him to an extent that even he was unaware of . 

On the other hand , with the slight upturn of lips, the bright eyes and impossibly smug face looked like when a husband won a fight against his wife and wore it on his face with _' Look I'm better than you '_ literally written on his forehead , Harry made a weird sight for his friends and students around him and it was even weirder when they noticed that this gaze was directed towards Draco who was scowling back like he is gonna chew him whole . The students around looked from Harry to Draco and then again to Harry . They kept looking back and forth as if watching a tennis match .

Student 1 : " Is it just me or is the pink fog real ? " 

Student 2 : " No , I think I see it too ! "

Student 3 : " Definitely real . Just the flower rain is missing and it will be a perfect fairy tale ." 

Student 1 : " What ? Why should there be flowers ? "

Student 3 : _* gives her a look *_

Student 1 : " OHhhhhhh " _*eyes wide *_

Student 2 : _* patting her back *_ " You have a long way to go ."

And this sight of obvious sparks flying at once made the unprecedented ability of imagination in Hogwarts students awaken and take up the task . And knowing the grand ability of these students , the results are sure going to be top notch .

Draco saw the self satisfied smirk on Harry and finally felt a very bad premonition in his heart . It felt as if he was slowly , unknowingly leered into a trap to be eaten whole . It was better to keep his distance from Harry . He's not as simple as before . Draco's instincts were on full edge and more so was his magic . Everything in his body was telling him to run . So , he grabbed a confused Blaise and dazed Pansy and walked as fast and as calmly as was required for a pureblood young master while dragging his dumb struck friends with both hands . But He could feel the gaze all the way through .

Night soon fell . Draco sat in his bed ready for a deep slumber but , unexpectedly , thinking . He remembered standing before the dark lord who was demanding him to kill , portraying it like an honour . Commanding him to curse an innocent girl , to kill Dumbledore . Draco never wanted to do this . But he had no choice but to stay silent and let nature take its course . He had no choice but to shove the guilt at the back of his mind and keep going because if he dwelled in this then his mother and sworn slytherin siblings will be the same . If Katie Bell was cursed then several people will be trying to save her , they will give their best for her . She will have a chance . Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of their time , as powerful as the dark lord , he can surely save himself if he wants so . But what about him ? What about his people ? They will be killed without a second thought . No one will try their best to save him . If they die then they weren't strong enough , weren't loyal enough . But if Katie or Dumbledore die then it was a tragedy , a reason to harass and kill every Slytherin around . 

Draco admits that he feels guilty but not to an extent to make him cry or mourn because he had always known that Dumbledore was never as simple as he made himself look . Dumbledore had knowingly let people suffer but did nothing to stop them even when he could and sometimes even send them right in the beast's belly . He was as disgusting as the death eaters . Never to be trusted . Draco could help and trust but what guarantee did he have that he would not be made into a virgin offering to the devil in the name of being a righteous sacrifice . What guarantee did he have that another Dumbledore would not come around . No , he could not put their life on line . 

Currently , most of the upper pureblood circle has lost their minds . In addition , most of the Slytherins students in the Hogward's do not even want all this . They are being forced by their parents just like him . Sooner or later , if he does not find a leeway , the ministry won't let anyone go . They will be made to bear the burn of the mistakes that were not even theirs to appease the hearts of the hypocritical wizarding crowd . And no proof will be enough to prove their innocence with this cursed mark on their arms . No one will help . No one will believe .

Maybe it is better that Dumbledore die . At least no one will actively push them in the pit . With Dumbledore gone , they will be more or less one step closer to safety and one step further from danger . But with this kind of risk , if was more of a harm than benefit . 

If one thing that Draco is sure of is that the dark mark is not as simple as it seems . He saw with his own eyes how his once reasonable father gradually started to get sick in the mind . How his craze got up to the point where he wouldn't even care if his family died for the cause of victory of Voldemort . He would happily accept that they died as Martyrs . The same goes for other followers of Voldemort . They don't care if their children lived or died . They all were already crazy , making their children more or less orphans. Only some of them still have their senses like his mother and Snape , but even they are not completely unaffected . The longer the mark stays , the more they go crazy . Therefore , the filthy mark on his arm has to go . So that he can get my mother and the Slytherins in hogward's out of here because these are the last people he considers family . With these thoughts , the pair of silver eyes shone even brighter in the same silver rays with a decisiveness clear in them . Draco gently lay on his bed and pulled up the covers , silently waiting for everyone to drift into their dream worlds , so that he could easily make his way to his destination .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So , I decided to make it a little spicy and comedy and as well as mixture of original elements and characters . Now the story will not just be limited to hogward's but would go all over the Europe for the search of horcruxes and on gain many advantages . 
> 
> As well , Draco and Harry have slight character changes . Draco now is more practical and straightforward . He is willing to do something to get his mother out and not just give up to fate . He is scared but willing to be braver , also he is haughty and prideful as always but now more tactful .
> 
> Harry now is more dark . He does not just blindly follow. He seeks and hides his true thoughts . Harry now is protective over his people and not as softhearted as before . He will punish the people who hurt him and ingnore who don't . He is on the path to greatness even bigger that in the novel and will soon become the Magical Overlord .He is someone to fear as well as respect . Fear for what he can do and repect for what he has done .
> 
> My dear cupcakes , please leave comments and kudos . I would love to communicate and know your opinion as well asure my heart that the chapters are not terrible .
> 
> ~~~~your's only ,  
> Dr. Shipper.❤️❤️


	3. Two oldmen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another detail is that here Harry and Ginny were never together . They are ambiguous but have never done anything remotely like a couple .

The moonlight filled the room as Draco slowly sat up from bed . Checking that his roommates were still deep asleep , he got out of bed . Silently draped his school robes over himself , took his wand and made his way out of the dormitory towards the library. 

Last summer , while reading at the Malfoy manor , he found some useful spells . One of them taught how to entirely conceal your magic and presence . This method is called **_' Concealment'_** was taught for the purpose of spying , assassinations and other such tasks . It was a kind of wandless magic . But it was slowly forgotten over the years as it can be only used by low wizards which , more or less , mean immature or student wizards with weak magic and presence . A wizard with strong magic performing this will probably result in death from magic suppression and his body will literally burst as the suppressed magic explodes . It was like how a container cannot hold water more than its volume and if forced , it will burst apart , spilling the water out . Luckily , he is still a student and his magic is very subtle and submissive making it easy to perform this and he also tried it , so he knows that the success rate is quite high .

In his thinking , Draco did not even realise that he was already at the library . Stopping in front of the restricted section , Draco remembered what he read in the book . He followed his instinctual memory and slowly relaxed his mind as he let his magic spread in the air around him . He then closed his eyes and felt everything his magic touched as he surveyed the surrounding . It felt as if he did not have two eyes but ten , so that he could look all around him and even feel the sound of slight flutter of wing from outside the window . It was a novel experience, Draco admitted. Then , inch by inch , he retracted his magic within his body , precisely at the center of his chest . Gradually , No magic was left out and all of it was tightly looked in that small space . Draco could feel his magic forming a small , marble sized , pale turquoise ball in his chest . His magic swirling as a silent tornado in it .

Finally done , Draco opened his eyes and made his way into the restricted section , not alarming any barrier and activating any array . Everything was as it was before , silently asleep in the dead of night .

In the Gryffindor dormitory , Harry lay in his bed staring at nothing and unable to sleep . His insomnia was getting worse . He was just about to close his eyes when he caught the sight of the invisibility cloak laying on top of his desk . At once , he got up and started to think about good nightwalk places in the Hogward's and decided on the room of requirements . Harry hid in his cloak as he made his way to the room of requirements . After entering, the room was still empty . Looks like he does not need anything . So , he just sat down and unexpectedly thought of the scowly kitty he saw this morning . Harry knows that it's weird calling Malfoy ' kitty' , but it definitely suits him well . 

Suddenly , a robust voice rang through the space , startling Harry .

" Hmmm , you are an interesting child . Calling a Malfoy 'kitty'! But , I have to say it quite suits Malfoys to be a bunch of kitties."

"Who's there ?!!?! "

The voice spoke again , this time as if making fun of Harry ," Worry not , child . I do not come to harm you . But , do tell me , is there nothing you need ? "

Harry could feel the power of this man and he was no match . He could feel that he was powerful but couldn't tell how powerful . All he knows is that he is trapped . Even though suspicious , he can do nothing . So he asks again ," who are you ? "

"Ahh , such is the vigor of youth . Sure , I am getting on my years. And for the courtesy of your question , I am a memory ."

" A memory ? Of whom ?"

" Have you heard of The Golden Warrior , that is me ! Eloise Herewósa , The Golden Warrior !!!" The voice boasts with a prideful tone . 

" The golden warrior ? Who ?" Harry asked with a confused voice while scratching his head .

The surrounding fell silent and Harry could feel the subtle pressure in the air rising . 

" YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE GOLDEN WARRIOR ? YOU DISGRACE TO MAGIC ITSELF !!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW ME ?!?! DO I LOOK LIKE A FOOL TO YOU ? " The voice , now furious , asked loudly . His anger was evident in his tone . One can imagine the scene to be perfect had there been an oldman with red face and shaking beard in front of Harry , glaring at him with such anger that could burn the entire Hogward's to dust .

Harry was astonished at the sudden shout and froze completely . His stunned eyes looked up , clear and pure , without an inch of falsehood . It was clear that he really did not know . 

The voice saw this sight with his invisible eyes and huffed but compromised and continued in a wronged childlike tone , giving people an unshakable urge to coax if not for the voice indicating that the person was at the age of one's grandpa . 

"Anyway let bygones be bygones and let the dead be dead . So , let's look at you now . Hmmmmm . Harry Potter , is it ? Orphaned as a baby , abused by immediate family . Bought to Hogward's at eleven . Strong magic . stable body. Sharp mind . Hmm. Hmm. Interesting, very interesting. Child , you sure are a once in a century genius . Such power , such mind but unfortunately not much of control . But that can be fixed and in no time you will be my first student , carrying on my great --"

But before , it could say anything else Harry questions again ," what do you want from me ? And how do you know this ? " Anxious but steady .

" I do have a want . But it is not a want to take from you , but to give . I wish to give you my knowledge . I have been searching for centuries for a person willing and able to pass my knowledge to , but found none . Today is the first I see someone good enough to be my successor . So tell me , child , do you wish to receive the knowledge . I do not wish to haste you . But remember this is not a path of weak . If you fear even a bit , leave . I won't stop you even if you are the last person to be my successor . I see that you have a need that cannot be given by this room . You need power , don't you ? To kill your enemies . To protect your near and dear .The power always follows knowledge . So do you wish ?"

This man is very powerful . Harry already had an inkling of it when he silently read Harry's memories without him even suspecting anything . Struggling to calm his throbbing heart , Harry thought that such a person could surely help him get ride of Voldemort . His offer is like a blessing falling from heaven but one can never be to sure , right ? There is no scarcity of traitors in people he knows let alone the ones he doesn't .

Harry asked in a neutral tone wishing to not give away his thoughts but forgot that the man could read his mind," How do I know that you are true and not another puppet of Voldemort . How do I trust you ?"

" You fool !!! Do you think you would be alive right now if I wanted to kill you ? Voldemort , is it . Such a nuisance ! This master could crush such a fly even if I am a memory!!! But , this master cannot . I am confined to this castle and it's walls . ", It said to Harry in a much calmer but irritated tone . He seemed to be losing his patience .

" You truly can ?" Recognising his error , Harry decided to talk freely this time. Not trying to hide anything .

" This master definitely can . So , brat will you accept it ? " 

" If it can help me defeat Voldemort then I will . But before that , make an unbreakable vow that whatever you said is true . "

"Tsk . Such a spoilt brat. Fine ! I vow on the sky above , earth below , air around and magic within that what I said is as true as the blue of sky and power of magic . If I said even a word false , may the thunder strike my soul in the netherworld and punish my insolence .",The voice said echoing around . 

Seconds passed , nothing happened . The memory was still there. 

"Hmph ! Now do you believe ? If not then leave . This master will not do anything else for you !!" The voice knew that Harry would agree after this much so it swiftly put a foot forward to regain its lost pride . 

"Hmm . Fine ", Harry said so leisurely that the old voice felt that let alone it's lost pride, the remaining pride was also gone and now it felt like it was stripped bare and standing in plain view . The feeling of cold air between its legs was particularly strong .

The old voice was so angry that he did not even give Harry a warning and directly threw him in the illusion of life and death .  
The room again fell silent as the figure that was there suddenly disappeared. 

On the other end , Draco was going through books at the speed of light. Books piled beside him but he found nothing . Finishing another book , he got up to pull the next book from the shelf when he noticed the scribble on the shelf beneath the book . It looked old and almost faded and hand written. The language was unknown , he noticed . Just as he touched it , an array lit up right beneath his feet . Draco's eyes blew wide in fear . _' Oh no . oh no no No ! '_ ,was the only thought in Draco's head as a bright light envelopes him . And the next second , he disappeared . The books Draco read slowly rose by themselves and took their given places in the shelves , even his robes disappeared .

Draco felt his consciousness come back . At the same time he felt his tired and heavy body. His eyelids refused to open and his limbs felt as heavy as rocks . Finally coming to himself , Draco remembered what happened and inevitably started to panic . _' Was he found out ? No , this can't be it !! '_ , was the first though. He felt his eyes slightly water at the frantic fear. Being found out was equal to death to someone in his position. 

Just then he felt a slight intrusion enter his head . He could feel the gentle and cool caress on his head as a gentle elderly voice spoke in his head .

" hush , now . It's fine . All is fine . "  
The voice was elderly and gentle but still held with it some playfulness .

Draco was startled at the voice but an unknown something did not let him panic . It was like someone had fed him a calming potion to stabilize all his emotions . Extreme fear and anger were impossible , a struggle even more so . As Draco relaxed and regained some of his rationality , he immediately started a round of rapid fire nearly enabling his captor , as he believed , from catching up .

" who are you ? Why are you in my head ? Did I get caught ? What are you doing to me ?"

"Little one , you sure are restless . I am a soul . As for why I am in your head is because I can and also because it will help heal you faster like this. I mean no ill intention . I will heal you as it was my inscribe which harmed you . And no , you did not get caught .", It said as it chuckled a gentle , but somewhat foolish with amusement , sound .

" How did I get here ? What happened ? What inscribes ? " Out of infinite questions in his head , Draco chose the ones that will possibly help to extend his lifetime if needed . It is better to be wary of landmines when in unknown territory .

"Ahhh , that . Well , you touched one of my inscribes and teleported here through the array below it . But , unfortunately , the array is quite old and rusty, also the installment of a bigger array around the section caused it to become unstable and take a toll on your body . But , do not worry , little one . I am already healing you . Though I am slower as I am a soul , I can still heal you well ." 

The voice gave off an image of a elderly man apologizing with wrinkled eyebrows and downwards tilted mouth . The pair of glassy , regret filled eyes was a big fat cherry on top . Instead of making a delicious pastry , the image was that of a near to tears , regretful oldman , making people feel guilty enough to just kill themselves with emotions without even moving a finger . 

This trick absolutely did not work on Draco but made him narrow his imaginary eyes instead .Draco was still wary but powerless as well . His body was still unable to move and his magic still locked inside . He had no way to defend himself if the voice attacked him . He was defenceless and vulnerable . Now , he could only wait and watch . This could as well be the day of his death . Thousands of scenarios flashed by in Draco's head as he grew restless. Hopefully he will he able to celebrate his next birthday.

Sensing his agitation , the voice hurriedly lulled him into sleep as if in the next second he was going to sit up and kill a man already dead ," Sleep now . I will wake you up . Rest . "

As he heard this , Draco's mind grew heavy as sleep evaded his consciousness.  
Not wanting to sleep , he desperately fought back . Fiercely counterattacking , the fatigue suddenly increased by leaps and bounds . Losing his foothold , Draco weakly mumbled ," Wait ……" before he succumbed to it and his breathing grew steady and heart beat calm .

Next time Draco woke up , he was lying on the ground in an unknown place . The room was as big as the great hall with marble pillars standing on both sides . Slowly he sat up and looked around . His body felt like it was run over by the Hogwarts express. It hurt everywhere . Standing up , he noticed that many objects were carefully kept in here , they looked meticulously cared for . The room itself was dusty and dirty , but the objects were clean without a speck of dirt . Cautiously , he did not touch the objects but looked around and spotted a man in white robes sitting on a stone chair in the far front . The man wore white robes with gold embroidery similar to wizarding robes . He had blond hair a tint darker that Draco's , somewhat similar to his father . The man sat in a perfect and stiff posture . His back straight , head up and had his back to Draco . He seemed to be reading something . He could see through the man , Draco noticed . He came to a stop behind him and was thinking of calling out , when the man spoke ," You finally woke up , little one . " It was the same gentle voice that spoke in his head . With this , Draco assumed that it was him . The voice did say it was a soul . 

Draco was just wondering if he was still in the castle or not . And if they were , why had he not heard of this soul with the number of books he had read ? Exactly how old was he for people and history to completely erase the traces of him or his life ? It was just then that the man stood up and turned to Draco . He was an elderly man looking close to the age of his father and had a sophisticated face with a gentle expression just like his voice . Looking down at Draco , he spoke ," How are you ? Do you feel any pain , any discomfort ? Is there any headache ? "

" Was it you in my head ? " 

Amused , the voice replied ," yes . It was me . Did I do a bad job ? "

"You healed me ?"

"Yes , little one" the man said and Draco's head took up its job of producing a million questions per second . 'How can he get in my head ? And healing without potions ? Is this ancient magic? Did this man know ancient magic ?' Draco's eyes brightened at this . Knowing anything from this man was akin to finding a precious treasure which even Voldemort and Dumbledore will be desperate to have . But Draco was not so daft to just go for it without knowing the catch.

"Why ?"

"So many questions , little Malfoy "

" How do you know I am a Malfoy ? Did you read my memories !??!? ", The speculations can be clearly heard in his voice .

" I know because I am one as well "

" You are a Malfoy ?!!?!"

The soul made a gesture with his hands and immediately a ring flew to him . The ring shone bright with a blue-green light . It had a turquoise stone embedded within the silver . At once , Draco was astonished . It was a Malfoy ring ! Every Malfoy is given this ring on their twelfth birthday as a recognition of their talent and expertise by their elders. And another thing about this ring is that only its owner or his loved ones can command and touch it . It has been a sacred ornament in the Malfoy Family for years . This ring signifies the sweat , blood and tears it's owner flows to achieve his /her goal , it signifies the reason to live for the one who wears it , it signifies everything they are and they own . Giving this ring to another signifies giving your everything to another , heart ,body and soul as well making the person their sole purpose from now . 

Draco thought of his own ring securely hanging on his neck . He always had it but he never wore it . On his twelfth birthday when he got it , he swore that he would wear this ring on the day he became the greatest potion master in the wizarding world , not just Europe. He knew that it was a big dream but he worked hard for it . He touched his chest to feel the ring inside . His eyes lowered and he appeared to be reminiscing in a memory with a melancholic feel . The look only lasted for a second before it flew away and Draco lifted his head and looked at the soul in front of him .

" What's your name ? "

" That's irrelevant , little one . You do not need to know that ."

Hearing this , Draco understood that he did not want to reveal his name , so he smoothly diverted the question and asked instead ," How do I get out of here ?"

" The same way you came in . You will be transported through one of my arrays . But I advise you not to do so . The reasons the array harmed you so much that you fainted was because of the instability of your body which further aided the instability of the array and ultimately got distorted ."

" I have an unstable body ? What do you mean?"

" Tell me little one . You went through something horrible , didn't you ? The aura of death is so thick on you but it is not your . It was left by someone close to you . You are hurt inside out , aren't you ?"

Remembering the things he had seen and experienced , Draco's face sank and his eyes lost the remaining light . He said in an emotionless voice ," What's your purpose ? It's not like you can help for free ."

" I can . I can help you if you let me "

Draco's face radiated doubt but still held slight hope ," Y-you can ?"

"Yes , it's a slave mark , is it not ? It can be removed but it has some conditions and success is very rare . I cannot tell you much as it is not my area of expertise but I have books regarding it . I can give them to you ."

Saying this, he again flicked his fingers and some books flew over . Each of them wide enough for at least a thousand pages . Draco looked at them and then looked up with doubt but still some gratitude and worship in his eyes . Even if he demanded a price for the favor , it was fine as long as he helps even a little bit . As soon as those books landed in his arms , he sat down and started to browse through the books . The books were very elaborate on the topics . It did not have specific information on the mark but each topic had several paragraphs on it . The information was totally scattered . Draco kept his attention on the books and did not notice the look out of appreciation and approval in the man's eyes as he looked at Draco trying to understand something way above his ability . Even if Draco did not understand , he was , at the minimum , trying .

When Draco looked up again the man had disappeared . He did not know how much time had passed by , so he made the conclusion that the soul had other tasks to do . After all , Malfoys are never idle . Then , he thought about what was written in the books . The dark mark was a kind of mark that is called ' the Slave marks' . The marks of this kind are center oriented . In other words , they are beneficial to the caster but typically harmful to the bearer . It complies the bearer to obey the caster's every command and disables the bearer to harm the caster in any form . It literally brands the bearer as a slave . Fortunately , the dark mark is the most weak kind of slave mark . It is only half a slave mark and not a complete one . These marks are cast by embedding the caster's magic into the bearer's nerves and skin . Thus , if the bearer's magic subconsciously tries to remove the mark , it will harm the nerves of the bearer and immediately kill them . 

Ultimately confused and finding no answer , Draco called the soul ," Umm…. Respected ancestor , are you there ? " 

The sound of gentle laughter filled the air as the white robed man , who is actually a soul , appeared out of thin air in front of Draco who was still sitting on the floor .

" Yes , little one ?" The smile was still there on his face as he looked at Draco in amusement .

Not noticing anything unusual , Draco replied while scanning the books again .

"I don't understand many things in here , like what does embedding the magic into the skin and nerve means ? Also there is no specific information or way to remove the mark ."

A look of realisation flashed through his eyes as the man said ," Ahh , that must be my negligence . Do they not teach you the basics of healing anymore ? Who is your master boy ? Did he not teach you basic healing ? "

Confused , Draco thought about the syllabus at the Hogward's .

"No . Is there a need for that ?"

"Yes"

At once , Draco was at loss at what to do . Then , he remembered that the man with him was indeed a healer ! He could learn what was needed from him ! Yes ! So simple ! Why didn't he think of this before ?! 

"You are a healer , aren't you ? You can teach me the basics , right ? "

Hearing Draco's words , conflicted emotions passed through his eyes as he hesitantly replied ,"That - Well , I can but - I don't know ."

"Please . Help me . I can make an exchange with you . I-I can give you anything you want unless I couldn't somehow have it . Please , it's a fair trade . You are a Malfoy , you can see how desperate I am . Please , at least in the name of being my ancestor ."

The man's eyes hardened," The way ahead is tough . You can't back away even if you want . Is this your final decision?"

Seeing the slightly darker eyes , Draco , with clear eyes , nodded firmly 

The man sighed defeatedly ," Fine"

He sat opposite of Draco with his legs folded and waited for Draco to do the same .

Draco understood his intentions and hurriedly copied him and sat in the same position .

Now facing each other , the man asked in a stern tone ," I am only doing this because I believe that you can pass the tests . My teachings are not easy to achieve . Now , you have two ways . First ,bear pain enough to kill you a thousand times . Second , learn from me step by step and take a thousand years to master it just the basics . Which one will you choose ? "

The look in the man's eyes was cold , dark , disciplined . It was the first time Draco had seen him like this since he came here. Although Draco only knew him for half a day , still somehow he knew that the man was as soft and sweet as a marshmallow in hot chocolate . Seeing the look on his face , Draco was stunned . He thought ,' Now he looks like a Malfoy '. Draco calmly replied ," I don't have much time . I choose the first one . Even if it hurts me like death ." 

The man looked in his eyes as if searching for even a bit of invisible fear or hesitance , not finding any , he finally started .

Draco silently closed his eyes and waited for the next instruction when he felt a foreign entity entering his body and mind , mixing in his blood and seeping in his magic . He felt searing pain in his body . His brow frowned and mouth pressed in a straight line . He could feel his brain burning from the inside and his magic stirring endlessly . He bit his tongue in an effort to not let any scream escape his throat and soundless whimpered.

Time passed and the pain continued to mount . He could not feel his body . The pain numbed everything . Unable to hold on anymore , Draco swayed slightly .

"Hold on a little longer . Do not give up . " A stern but worried voice sounded in his ear . 

Due to the pain , Draco was barely able to understand the words . He did not have energy or support . The only thing making Draco still persist was his will . Every second was an endless effort to live . 

After an unknown amount of time, the pain gradually subsided as Draco , understanding that it was over , let his consciousness slip as a subtle magic caught him and lay him down .

A haggard but proud and worried face smiled as it looked at Draco . The soul lovingly stroked Draco's hair as he let the boy rest . His eyes held unfathomable emotions as he looked at his newly adopted son . He did not know why but Draco struck something in him . The need of cherishing him was unavoidable . So , he did something he could not have done in a thousand years . He adopted Draco . It was not because he felt like it but more because he knew Draco needed someone beside him desperately just like he did . The plague of loneliness and helplessness was hard to bear . He knew it well beforehand and he did not wish to let Draco go through it alone .

The child was truly pitiful . The love he received from his family was evident from the condition of his soul . Every magical being has an amazing soul , different from the non magical beings . A magical soul produces magic from his or her emotions . The kind of emotion one feels the same his magic behaves . But even if magic is produced from within , it's not enough . The soul needs a link , a connection to nature , to another being . This is usually fulfilled when a parent or people around feel such love for a person that their magic acts on it and forms a connection between their souls . It can be a familial one , romantic one or one showing respect and admiration depending on the emotions . The parental soul connections are the most necessary as they flow of emotions between parent and children are extreme , fulfilling the need for protection and love a child needs when young . But astonishingly , Draco neither had a maternal nor fraternal connection . Draco only had three connections , where the two sibling connections are weak and withered showing the terrible condition of the people on the other side . The last one was still strong but isn't a sibling connection or parental connection . It only shows fierce protectiveness and care for Draco but not like a parent or family . It was different and difficult to know what the other person saw Draco as .

The soul sighed and looked at Draco pitifully as he sat down and began replenishing his magic . 

He did know what the future holds but he knows that this boy is destined for a difficult and deadly but great and powerful path .

\---------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be updated soon . Also remember to share , bookmark , subscribe , comment and leave kudos !!!!!!!! 
> 
> Most importantly , have a GOOD DAY !!!!!!


	4. Gains and Advantages

Harry found himself sitting in a small compartment . In further observation, he realised that it was The Hogward's Express . He lifted his head to see Ron and Hermione sitting in front of him . One asleep while the other reading . He was clear that this was an illusion , still he was about to call out to his friends when a familiar voice sounded .

" Brat , ready for the first test ? "

"Yes ?" Harry was no stranger to tests . He had gone through plenty under Dumbledore's hand . Not finding it odd , he remained surprisingly calmy . But he would have liked a warning.

Suddenly , the voice grew serious as it said in a grave voice .

"Look , brat . This is a test , an exam . And an extremely difficult one at that . Many people have died inhere because they gave up in the middle of it . If you want to be a warrior , you have to go through it , have to stand in the face of death without flinching . No one knows what it actually is . It's different for everyone . And this is just the start . The future will be worse . So , I ask you for the last time . Do you still wish to do this ? "

" Yes . I will not back up from something I have promised ."

Harry did not hesitate to answer. In the numerous tests with Dumbledore , he was never given an option. He was just thrust right into it , without a warning or help , where he either had to move ahead or die . He hated that part of Dumbledore , of people . The part where they think that they know what should be done . This simple action gave Harry a favorable impression of the oldman's morals. 

With a satisfied hum , he continued .

" Good , it has been a long tradition in The Pheonix Warriors . My master had me take it . I will have you take it . This test is made to push your limits in the most overwhelming way . It may be your deepest desire or your greatest fear or all of it together . I do not have tricks or clues to give you , kid. This is all about you . The only piece of advice I give you is - no matter what , Do Not Give Up . Keep going even if you feel you can't anymore . "

Harry solemnly nodded as the voice faded . In his heart , he already accepted the Oldman as his master* . Up till now he has given Harry no reason to not believe him and has also taken the vow . This shows where his interests lay clearly .

Harry noticed that the train stopped . With a newfound determination , he stood up .

" Get up Ron . We are here .", He said while shaking Ron awake .

"Hmm. "

With a sigh , Harry turned to Hermione as she closed her book and smacked Ron with it , immediately waking the boy . Ron shot up and looked at Hermione .

" Could you not do that ?" The look in Ron's eyes was of anger as he stood up and grabbed his luggage and turned to leave without a word to either of them .

They looked at each other after Ron left , shrugged and got busy collecting their own belongings . 

Stepping out of the compartment , Harry looked ahead and the scene ahead stunned him to no end . Ahead of him were the two figures which were the only ones he saw in the mirror of Irsed .

His parents were here .

They looked older than the pictures he had of them . Time gifting them the wrinkles and reverence . They were talking with the Weasleys as they stood waiting for someone . Him maybe .

Wishing to indulge a little longer , he moved towards them . He did not know if the decision was right or wrong . As he came closer , he drew their attention . 

" Harry . How was school ? A good year or not ?" A voice he never heard but always imagined . 

His mother came forward and tenderly hugged him . Her frail arms could not even entirely wrap his shoulders as she whispered in a lovingly melody .

" Oh , Harry. My baby . Mother missed you so much . Look how thin you have gotten . Does Dumbledore not feed you ?  
My poor baby ."

"Lily , he is a growing boy . Give it a rest . Let's go home , he must be tired "

" Yes ,let's go . I have made all your favourites . Meat pie , baked chicken and your favorite chocolate cake and much more. "

Seeing this , Harry finally opened his clogged throat and said in a rough voice ," Yes , let's go home , mom . I missed you guys "

Unknowingly , a tear had slipped from his eyes .

" Harry , Why are you crying ? Harry ? Baby? "

He was still staring at his father. He had always imagined his mother from what everyone told him but imagining his father always had been a tough task .

Seeing that Harry was staring at his father , his mother said in an angry voice while hitting him ," James , What did you do ? Why did my baby cry ?" 

His father stepped back while holding his arm , as if his mother's frail arms broke his bones . 

" I did not do anything !!"

Such hilarious and stupid people . Who would be able to keep a straight face in front of them ? Even a goblin would laugh .

Harry started laughing while wiping his eyes . Seeing him laugh , his parents relaxed and hugged him while his father kept a soothing hand on this head .

His father said in a gentle but worried voice ," What happened , son ? Did something happen at school ?" 

" It's nothing, dad . I just missed you so much ."

"Silly child . It's good that no one bullied you or this father would have come himself to see who has the guts to bully my son !!!".

Harry and his mother laughed at his father as he , in an attempt to show his manliness , puffed his chest so wide that they thought it might burst. 

Now that the reunion was completed , they turned their attention towards the Weasley family who were standing there silently spectating , not willing to spoil their moment .

His father stepped forward and shook Mr. Weasley's hand and bid their goodbyes .

They soon reached home. It was a two storey house with a lawn and backyard .  
Harry had never come here before but he knew where his room was . He walked to the room as he heard his mom telling him to wash up and come down for dinner . 

Reaching his bed , he plopped in it . Arms and legs spread wide like the stick figure babies drew . 

He calmed his head and kept it completely blank . It was overwhelming him . This situation , his parents , this life . It was all overwhelming him . 

Getting up , he washed up , he changed his clothes and finally went down for dinner . He will think about what to do later. For now , let's go with the flow .

His mother was setting the plates while his father was sitting in one of the chairs , eagerly waiting for the delicacies . 

Looking up , his mom said ," Come , Harry . Sit down . Let's pray and start dinner ."

Sitting down , they closed their eyes as she said ," We are thankful to you , mother , for giving us the food on our table , air to breath , water to drink , people to cherish and magic to protect ."

Finally tasting the dishes , Harry could feel his eyes burning. _So this is what mom's cooking tastes like_. He knew that it might not actually taste like this but this what he imagined and he did admit that it tasted a bit like Mrs. Weasley's , since she was his only inspiration for the taste of a mother's hand. 

That night Harry ate till his stomach was bulging . He could never get enough of this taste . And he also understood what master meant by ' keep walking' . There was a door right next to the couch . Harry could always see it but it seemed to be invisible to his parents . He knew that walking through it will break the illusion . But he was still reluctant to do it .

Days passed and Harry grew more and more indulged , slowly forgetting his real world . His parents broke the news that his mom was pregnant with a baby girl and the whole family was in a mood for celebration and happiness . He always wanted a younger sibling . Right now , they were sitting on the couch discussing who will name the baby . They excitedly suggested names and bickered about whose choice was better . The door still silently stood there , waiting . Still only visible to Harry .

Harry looked at it and finally he turned to his parents and softly said ," Mom"

Smiling , his mom turned to him .  
" What is it , Harry ?"

"Mom , I have to go ."

"Where ? Are you going to Ron ?"

" No , mom . I have to go now ." He said silently , solemnly .

Seeing the look in his eyes , his parents frowned and quietly exchanged a worried glance .

His dad said ," What happened , son ?"

" I have to go now . You know I can't stay here ." This alerted his parents as a look of shock and worry passing through their eyes .

" Harry ? What are you saying ? Go where ?" His mom asked again .

Harry calmly stood up and smiled bitterly . His eyes sank , deepening the green to look like a bottomless lake . He turned his back to them and walked to the door . 

Harry had always wanted this . This house , his room , his parents , his soon-to-be born sister , his mom's food , his dad's pats , this life . He always wanted it . He prayed , pleaded , begged and dreamt . While he was in the cupboard crying due to pain , at hogward's in his bed unable to sleep , in front of The mirror of Irsed looking at his deepest desires , with the Weasley family seeing how they are , at the Hogward's station finding numerous students hug their parents with joy , he was always there , wishing for this , even if just for a bit . Even if it was only a crumb left of the original bread . Harry always thought that even if he got the chance to experience it for a bit , he will be satisfied .  
But now , after seeing them , living with them , he understood that it will never be enough .

He didn't know if this test was a blessed pleasure or a painful torture . Harry was fortunate to have a glimpse of what he always wished for but mournful that he will never have it . It was somewhat like how he felt towards Draco , he saw bits and pieces of that incredible puzzle but will never see what the whole picture will look like . It was torturous .

Every step he took away from them felt like walking through fire , every breath felt like he was infaling the same fire which was burning his skin . He was hurting from inside-out .

Standing in front of the door , he gripped the knob . Just as he was about to open the door , a hand gripped his wrist . He turned and saw his mother , tearfully looking at him . 

She spoke softly , pleadingly ," Please don't . You belong here , with us . Don't you want to see your younger sister ? Please stay . Harry , you are my baby . How can I let you go ? Have I done something ? Has James done anything ? D-don't worry . We won't do it again . We-we will even repent it . Just tell us what happened. Don't just leave the house . "

It was getting harder to leave , to take even a step away . He knew it was the illusion making it harder , testing his limit .  
Still he could not bear to leave just like that . So he cupped her face in his hands and said ," You know I love you , right . I was happy here . But now I have to go . This isn't where I belong and you aren't real , are you ?"

His mom looked shocked , then slowly the shock melted away to a tearful smile .

" We love you as well . Now go . Any longer and I won't be able to take it ."

He hugged her one last time and looked at his dad to see him looking at Harry with the same sad smile as his mother . 

Harry twisted the knob to open the door while taking a last look at his parents . He gave them a bittersweet smile to see them return it back to him . He turned back , closed his eyes and stepped through .

He again opened his eyes to find himself back at his dorm , in his bed . His invisibility cloak still at the table . It was like nothing happened and it was all a dream if not for the presence he now felt in his consciousness . He somehow knew it was that oldman . It was like a ball of light , tightly snuggling in a corner . He tried knocking on it . To his surprise , the ball of light took the shape of a human , a man . Harry observed that the man looked like in his early forties and wore something like a wizarding robe but shorter with the front closed , better fitted and tight sleeves as well as without the hood . He looked like a rough and wild man , untamed and unmannered . Just like him . _Ahh , well looks like a gryffindor_ , Harry thought .

Seeing Harry stare at him , the man raised a sword like eyebrow at him and coughed awkwardly . 

Looking back up again , Harry said ," Hey Eloise . "

" Looks like you are back . I did not expect you to take so long . And it's master or teacher to you , brat . "

Harry just shrugged and asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm ," You know you have to ask permission before free loading at someone's place ?" 

" Well , you can't do anything about it ." He said smugly. 

" Didn't you say that you are bound to the walls . How are you in my head ?"

"You are still inside the castle. So why can't I ? "

"You are going to stay here ?"

"Yes"

" Are you going to read my mind again?"

" Don't worry , I won't . "

Harry narrowed his eyes again . His disbelief was clear . Eloise did it once. So , Why not again ?

Eloise tsked and waved his hand . A book appeared in his palm . He gave it to Harry and said ," This is your first lesson. Learn it properly . The first lesson for any warrior is of defence on the outside as well as inside. He should know to protect his mind from the known and the unknown. Now , don't disturb . Forming an illusion is not an easy task , even for me . " 

With this , Eloise again shrunk into a ball and did not respond even after repeated knocking.

Harry opened the book and realised it was on legilimency and occlumency . Surprisingly , it was handwritten . The book itself was only imaginary . He could not take it out of his mind. 

Harry opened the book and started reading . The first part was about occlumency . He kept reading and did not even realise how time passed .

After reading about ten pages , Harry was convinced that he knew all about basic occlumency and how to use it . Fortunately , this book was of a special type . He did not know if it was originally like this or it was because it was in his head . The book had a particular way of giving examples . After every chapter the book will play out a realistic example . This greatly helped Harry to learn from somewhat practical examples . The book also had descriptions of barriers against mind attacks . Even if mind attacks are rare and almost extinct , they are very much a threat . The attacker had the ability to control the body of the victim and if it is an expert , even possession is possible . In fact , mind attacks are itself an advanced type of legilimency . They originate from the same roots. 

In all this , Harry did not forget what was going outside of his personal bubble . He did not forget that he had a knife hanging above his head which could fall at any time. Looks like he had to speed things up. But that was not a problem. Harry had always been fast .

When Draco woke up ,he found himself lying on the ground . The man , his ancestor , was sitting beside him , eyes closed and hands on his chest . Draco slowly sat up and called ," Respected Ancestor ?"

The man opened his eyes and leisurely smiled at Draco , even if it was slightly strained. He stood up and walked to Draco.

" You are up ? Good . Now that you woke up . It is time for you to leave ."

It felt like his company was unwanted and he was being pushed out . Draco had never felt like this , it was strangely awkward . He understood where he was unwelcomed but this was the first time he did not suspect this and literally got a blow in the gut . It was an embarrassingly painful feeling .

" Am I healed ?"

" Yes , little one "

" You will stay here ?"

"Yes "

"Why won't you leave?"

The man looked uncomfortable being asked this question . But looking at Draco's clear and shining eyes , the man sighed and gave up . 

" I am waiting for someone . He promised to come back . I am waiting for him ."

Hearing this Draco was shocked . _'Is this what I think it is ?',_ He thought . Again looking at the man's downcast look , he confirmed his speculations . _' Respected ancestor had a lover . Who , for some reason , went far away . To a war maybe ? He promised respected ancestor to return to him again .So , respected ancestor kept waiting . Years flashed by but he did not stop waiting and did not move on . Ultimately , respected ancestor died waiting for his beloved and is still waiting for him after his death !!! A tragic love story , indeed. '_ Draco's thoughts were rapidly derailing from the sane track to the track of what people of 2020 call 'shipping'. Then suddenly, a lightbulb appeared on his head . _' So this is what father said about Malfoys only having one or none in their life. At that time he looked at mother and she blushed ! So this was it ! Such determination !!! Even waiting for his beloved in death. A true Malfoy , he was !!! '_

The man , still thinking , failed to notice the changes in Draco's face in the span of seconds . Draco's face first flashed shock , then understanding , awe and finally pity .

With this , Draco realised that it was indeed his responsibility as the descendant of Malfoys to help his own ancestor . Also , respected ancestor had helped him so much . The least he could do was to free the soul of his ancestor to join his beloved in the netherworld . And if they truly were in love then the soul of the beloved might be trapped somewhere as well . Maybe he could find it so that both of them could fulfill their last wish and depart to the land of souls together . 

Determined , Draco spoke drawing the man's attention towards himself again ," respected ancestor , why don't you come with me ? Maybe the one you are waiting for is trapped somewhere and is unable to come ? You should leave this place and find him !"

Looking at Draco's innocent face urging him , the man fell in deep thought . What use was it staying here? For all he knew , he might be in the netherworld , already . He might not even remember their promise. He might not even remember him . But then again , he was a Malfoy and Malfoys do not give up just because they were scared. If he was here , he can be found . If he was in the netherworld , he can be followed . If he did not remember , he can be reminded . 

Then he looked up to Draco . This child really was the heaven's golden son*. If Draco had not come here , he might not even think about this . He might just be wallowing in the memories like he did for the past hundreds of years . He was really thankful to destiny for giving him a chance to meet Draco , this lovely child .

" So , what do you think , respected ancestor ?"

Such a cute one Draco was . Calling him 'respected ancestor' . A perfect little Malfoy , was he ? It was amusing at the least , seeing Draco act like a child and a respectable Malfoy at the same time . He wanted to know exactly how cute this little Malfoy can be .

With a mischievous glint , he said to Draco ," Of course , little descendant . After all , I am far too old . One can be quite forgetful in old-age , needing a little descendant to take care of him . Ahh , little descendant , forgive this oldman , I will let you be the responsible one. I am very grateful for your care , little one . "

After saying this , the man sat down and looked at Draco . Draco , understanding what had happened , turned beet red . And for a second the man even thought that he was going to puff his cheeks up . OH , What a sight it would be !!!! . Draco with red puffed cheek and glaring at you , all the while standing in his pajamas !!!!

Draco , with a face as red as tomato , glared at the giggling man. His eyes were literally spitting fire. Was it that entertaining to jab fun at him ?!? Hmph . If he hadn't been his ancestor , Draco would have hexed him for sure ! 

AAHHH ! It was truly embarrassing ! Being treated like a child ! It was infuriating ! Could he not see that Draco was almost as tall as him !?!? 

Draco again looked at the man to see him looking at Draco with adoration in his eyes . And he stilled for a second . When was the last time someone looked at him like that ? When was the last time someone looked at him with the gaze of an elder looking at the child of his family ? Then he remembered . It was probably in third year . So long ago .At this time , Draco realised truly how lonely he was , how he was forced to grow up sooner , how many responsibilities were on his tender shoulders . But , then again , it wasn't just him . It was all of them . Potter , Granger , Weasley , Blaise , Pansy , everyone . They were children of war. Here , they either grow up or die . It was the truth and Draco understood that . 

The man did not miss the complex emotions flashing in Draco's eyes . If anything , the slave mark was definitely a clue as to why . The man stood up and walked to Draco and slowly embraced him . Giving him silent support .

Draco was shocked at first and then thankful . In a time like this , every comfort was a privilege . He could not physically feel the touch but he could feel a cool sensation , like a summer breeze brushing his skin . He understood that it was the man's magic . He could feel it comforting him as he was completely enveloped in it .  
He let himself relish in the comfort for some moments. 

After a few minutes , he drew back and lifted his head to say ," Thank you . Although it is quite weird for Malfoys to give and receive hugs ."

" Not with family . Always remember, you are a Malfoy to the world , but you are just Draco to another Malfoy . You are family ."

Draco smiled and nodded his head . Even if he never experienced it with his family , he somehow understood . It was how the Slytherins were amongst other houses but to a milder extent .

Draco was about to call ' respected ancestor' again when he remembered the fresh scar that the humiliation left and said fumingly instead ," What do I call you ?"

The man raised an eyebrow and said ," Tired of 'respected ancestor' , are we ? It truly was a mouthful , wasn't it ?"

This time , Draco's cheeks really puffed. As he frowned and glared at the man . Seeing this the man howled without reservation . An act of truly accepting someone as family .

" You know , little one , I always wanted a son but as you can see , I was never able to fulfill this dream of mine .So can you call me father ?" The man said with soft eyes and words .

Draco's eyes widened as he looked at him . Then thinking how his own father was , it wasn't wrong thinking that he had never received even a touch of fraternal love .  
Looking at the man in front of him , Draco thought _' I wish he was really my father by blood as well '_ Well , Draco had already accepted him as family and he was a Malfoy as well .

With a very happy expression , Draco said ," yes . But can I call you papa ? It is more comfortable . "

Before the man could reply , he very quickly added ," That is , if you don't mind ."

The man smiled and said ," Anything you want , son ." 

Hearing this , Draco's smile blew so wide that it almost reached his ears . He was about to continue when again stopped in his tracks and realised that he did not even know his Papa's name ! Before he was reserved , but now that they are family , it should be fine . So he asked ," Papa , now can you tell me about yourself ?"

'Papa' rolled off his tongue so smoothly that it did not even feel like it was his first time . Feeling pleased , the man continued ," My name is Luar Malfoy . I was primarily a healer , but to support my task , have the mastery of potions , legilimency and occlumency . I was alive from 890A.C till 938A.C and was the head healer of Wizarding Europe . "

Draco was once again stunned to shock . His mouth falling open as his eyes became as wide as saucers , looking especially like a tarsier* . What !?! He was a healer , a potion master , a legilimens and occlumens all together !!!!! What kind of monster was this ? And he lived only 48 years out of which at the very least 11 years went without magic . So that means he had masteries over four very difficult and powerful topics that people sometimes spent their whole lives learning !?! WHAT THE FUCK !!!!! Even Snape had only potions mastery and basic legilimency and occlumency ! And Snape was the smartest person he knew ! This is not a wizard , well , once-upon-a-time-now-soul-wizard . Draco barely resisted the urge to drop on his knees and pray . 

And this , people , was how Draco unknowingly picked up not only an ancient monster but literally a god to be his father .

Still wide-eyed and open-mouthed , Draco took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes and then his mouth and gulped as if swallowing the leftover shock . If he really did somehow swallow the shock , then Merlin's sure that Draco Malfoy's death certificate will go something like this :-  
________________________________________________  
**Certification of Death**  
\--------------------------------------------------------

Name - Draco Lucius Malfoy

Age. - 16yrs

Cause  
Of death - choking on his own shock  
somehow  
______________________________________________

Imagery of this thought seemed terrifying in Draco's head even if it would seem terrific in other's heads. Shaking his head and blowing his thoughts away , Draco opened his eyes and looked up at his newly acquired papa with even more newly acquired awe . 

Seeing the look of pure admiration directed towards him , Luar felt like he was swimming in honey. Sweet , sweet honey ! Even sweeter that sweet - no , the sweetest Draco !!!! OHHH , His old heart couldn't bear this . He felt that with this look the possibility of a second death was not too less !!! 

Seeing his second death near , Luar hurriedly said , wanting to divert Draco's attention ," Do you have something you always carry with you ? Maybe jewellery ? I can't go out like this . I will be visible to everyone . I need something to hide ."

Sporting a worried look , Draco frowned ," well , I have my Malfoy ring ."

" No , not that . Malfoy rings are enchanted. Going in there is not hiding but imprisoning yourself "

" Then do you have anything else . I don't have any other jewellery . "

" Well , I do but it is rather unsuitable for you ."

" At least let me see ."

"Ok"

After saying this , Luar took Draco to one of the glass shelves kept against the pillars . Inside the shelf were many small and medium men's jewellery and other accessories . All of them were elegant , refined and suited for aristocratic gentlemen like Luar and Draco . It was just then that Draco's gaze drifted over and stopped on a green-coloured , diamond and gold immured ribbon with a silver and emerald brooch on it .  
He had never seen this kind of jewellery before . Was it men's or was it women's ? Maybe it was a hair ribbon ? 

Seeing Draco's gaze stop , Luar asked ," Do you like this ? I have to say this will definitely look good on you . It's not too gaudy and can be used daily . Do you choose this one ?"

" But what is it ?"

" It's a pin-en-groom* . It's worn like a bowtie ."

"Oh. But I don't know how to wear it . "

" It's easy . Just tie it like a ribbon ."

After being instructed , Draco quickly learned that it wasn't as hard as he thought . Casting a mirror spell , Draco checked if he could wear it right and found that he looked somewhat different with the bowtie . Not-so-stiff , but still demanding respect . Elegant , mannered and aristocratic , that's what he looked like . A true son of nobility . Even if he was wearing it on silk pajamas .

Giving his papa a satisfied grin and getting one in return as well , he moved on the next task .

" What to do with all these ? Do you want to keep them here ?"

" They all belong to me and now that you are my son , they all belong to you. "

Saying this , he walked towards another shelf and picked up a gold band-like ring and soon all the things started disappearing . Finally when the room emptied , he walked to Draco and demanded his right hand to place the ring on his index finger. 

"Now , put your magic into it to claim ownership. "

Draco did as told and found that he could see the inside of the ring. The space was as big as his dorm and had the shelves placed properly in it . Just to experiment , he tried to pull an object with his magic and found it immediately in his hand . 

" This is like a travelling trunk , just more convenient . You do not have to worry about theft as it can only be accessed by you . Anyone else cannot open it , it has recognised your magic and won't follow another . Rest assured "

Draco was very thankful to Luar . He had only stumbled here by mistake . If it was any other , magic forbid what might have happened to him . He might not even be alive right now . Instead , he not only got a father but also gained a truckload of precious ancient treasures ! And most importantly got very valuable information on the dark mark .

Luar , rolled his eyes again , and said," Don't look at me like that ! Is there anything wrong with giving my property to my heir ?"

The look in Draco's eyes intensified as he heard these words . He was sure that with this he had exhausted all his good luck points in Merlin's bank . But it was worth it .

" How do you hide in this pin-en-groom ?"

"Right , before that , Let's go over the rules . Let me get the father-feeling as well !"

Draco giggled at his antics .

" Listen carefully , son . Do not go anywhere without this necktie . Do not take the things in the ring out carelessly . Do not use the ring in public . The books I gave you should be kept hidden as well . They are my personal notes . Do not go anywhere near the caster of the slave mark . We will work on it later . And last but not the least , do not go near your parents , either of them ." Luar said sternly , face stiff.

Hearing the last one , Draco asked ," what ? Why ?"

" There's something wrong with them . You briefly read about soul connections , didn't you ? There is something strange with your parental soul connections . Which is quite baffling . Tell me Draco . Do your parents pay attention to you ?"

Draco lowered his head and said ," Father doesn't but mother does . She is all I have . "

A deep look appeared on Luar's face . He did not tell Draco that there were no connections at all as he did not want to panic the boy . But now hearing what Draco said , he fell into all the possibilities that can happen and realised that most of them indicated a problem with Draco's mother's character and intentions . Staying away is the most suitable now for Draco . 

Not wishing to dwell , he brightened up and gestured Draco against a pillar and asked him to tightly hold it . 

Draco tightened his hold on the pillar while resting his back on it . He looked as Luar turned into a swirling ball of light and rushed into the brooch on this new necktie as Draco was pushed back by the force and firmly planted against the pillar . When it ended , the silence prevailed again . The once kind-of-full room , now completely empty . Draco walked towards an array drawn on the ground , stood in the center and said the words he read on the shelf . With this , a bright light shone and the remaining occupant disappeared as well , leaving the room with only dirt . 

\------------------------------------

*Heaven's golden son - an extremely fortunate person who brings good luck to himself as well as people around him. 

*Tarsier - a monkey-like small animal with very wide eyes .here ↓  


*Pin-en-groom - Here ↓  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Share , Comment , Bookmark , Subscribe and leave kudos . Most importantly, HAVE A GOOD DAY !!!!**


	5. The egg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Harry has started to feel more intensely towards Draco .
> 
> \- They have their second confrontation after chapter 1 .
> 
> \- They kinda fight leading to a short adventure .
> 
> \- the first bun appears !!!!  
> ( Even though in egg form )

Draco found himself dropping outside the Slytherin dormitory and barely managed to steady himself . Looking around for any presence but finding none , he concluded that it must be the early hours of the day . 

Silently whispering the password and walking inside , Draco somehow managed to get into his bed without waking anyone up . Now , under the covers , He lazily thought about the classes of tomorrow and the homeworks when he found himself wondering if anyone can sense Luar's magic or presence . If anyone , especially Dumbledore or Voldemort , did then the result would be disastrous . Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps . Doubting himself , he silently whispered , " Hey , Papa ?"

" Yes " ; Luar's voice sounded in Draco's ear .

" What if someone powerful senses you ?"

" They can't . My magic is far superior to anyone in this castle . If there had been someone like that here , I would have already sensed him the moment I got out was of the buried treasury ."

" Oh . Wait , You can sense the people around you ? How ?"

" It's like an extra sense you get when your magic is powerful enough ."

"............."

Please don't parade your 5 course menu when people only have bread !!!! Tsk ! Such a show-off !!!!

" Also , you might have noticed that your magic seems more free and at ease than before ?"

This garnered Draco's attention as he subconsciously felt the magic in his body and around it , finding that his magic did feel more at ease . It was like before his magic could not move very fluidly in his body but now it moved around more freely and his body lost some of its rigidity . He was not particularly rigid , in fact , was physically very flexible , but he did not feel very comfortable in his own skin before . Now , his muscles were loose and his magic was more adapted . Overall , it felt much better .

Seeing Draco's happy expression and as if dumping cold water on his head , Luar explained ," Due to constant pressure , nervousness and unstable emotions , your body and magic were in a highly alert state for a long time . Adding to that , you are in your growing stage where your magic is particularly active as it adapts to nature , tries to form bonds and become stronger , same as yourself . But due to these circumstances , it's behaviour changed according to your emotions , making your body somewhat reject it , making it harder to move within and ultimately , making it harder to grow stronger . "

Draco didn't seem surprised at this . He had read about this before but did not expect that he himself was suffering from the same condition . He was slightly above average among his peers and thought that was his original strength . Above that , he did not notice any symptoms at all . Looking at the curtains covering the top of the bed , he blinked and remained silent , urging Luar to keep going .

Understanding him , Luar continued ," Over that is the anomaly of your soulbonds which makes it worse . If you go like this , the consequences will be bad . It can even handicap your magic , making you a squib . We should first treat this before our next step ."

Growing solemnly , Draco said in a decided tone ," No , I don't have time for this . I need to do so much . This will only delay things , it won't make anything better ."

Luar , who was troubled by Draco's words , sounded ," You don't understand , Draco . Let alone defend yourself , you won't even be able to survive removing that slave mark !! "

" What does this have to do with removing the dark mark ?" ; Losing his temper , Draco hissed angrily . If not for his roommates sleeping just beyond the covers , he would have shouted it out .

" The slave marks are embedded in your magic , removing them will feel like removing a parasite stuck on your skin . We have to cut away the chunk of magic it is stuck on , so that not even a bit of it remains within . And at that time your magic will start slipping away , it will bleed . Doing it with such a condition will kill you . " ; Voice still calm , Luar said .

Giving up , he asked ," Is there no other way ? Anyway to do it faster ?"

Understanding Draco's thinking , Luar said ," Recovery and treatment cannot hurry , Draco . It is a process . Doing it faster or with an alternative will only mess it up. What you can do is to find the cure as well as train yourself to be stronger . So when the time comes you can be ready and not lacking."

Draco gave a resigned sigh and remained quiet . Was fate playing with him ? First giving him a disaster and then a fortune but not letting him do anything . It was ridiculous . Utterly ridiculous , How his whole life has come to be .

But it felt nice to have someone worry about him and give him advice . It felt nice to be cared for . Thinking this , he fell asleep , thanking and resenting fate .

__________

Harry woke up to a hand shaking him roughly . Opening his eyes , he gave the offender a harsh glare but still sat up .

" Mate , get up . It's almost breakfast ." ; Seeing he was up , Ron informed but shut up as soon as he met with Harry's glare .

Bathing and getting ready , Harry made his way to the great hall with Ron and Hermione in tow .

Sitting at the Gryffindor table , He started having his food with frowned brows and a tight jaw .

From the lack of acknowledgment , Ron as well as Hermione's silence and the look in Harry's eyes , people understood that it was better to stay away from him today .

Roaming his eyes over the hall , Harry's eyes rested on Draco who was silently eating his food with bags beneath his eyes , looking a bit less perfect and bit more human .

Harry's thoughts drifted towards all the possible thoughts why . Had Malfoy not slept enough ? Did he have insomnia like Harry ? Nightmares maybe ? And then thinking about the possibility of Draco not trying to sleep at all and doing something else , like plotting schemes and possible murders or maybe a pleasant night with a lover , had Harry's eyes visibly darkening . But a big part of him was bothered about Draco being with another person , with a lover having a moonlit tryst . _' So he was up to something last night ? What a fool I was to think that Malfoy was anything other than a shrew .'_ , he thought as a grim smile stretched across his face .

At this point , Harry had terrified the whole gryffindor table and some students in his proximity even had cold sweat dripping down their back . Sitting beside him , Ron had a HD+ and ultra definition view of the horror scene . It was a miracle he did not start crying like Neville four seats ahead .

The gryffindor table was oddly silent today and this did not escape Draco as he racked his eyes around them . Catching Harry's eyes , Draco almost jerked back from fright but caught himself and forcibly retracted his gaze . But this did not stop Harry from staring at him . And Draco felt a heavy gloom surround him , finding the reason for the silence at the other side . Hasty but mannered , Draco finished his breakfast and fled to the first class . Seeing Draco finish , Blaise and pansy rushed to follow him . Now-a-days, he had learnt not to try and decipher the saviour's glares towards him . They can cause extreme fright , nightmares and if in a bad shape , even fainting is possible .

The day went as always even with the helpful inputs from Luar every now and then . Draco had been somewhat absent these days , thinking about the information he read , his condition and the dark mark . This did not go unnoticed by Blaise and Pansy , who silently approached him in the potions classroom .

" Draco , Are you alright ?" , Pansy asked with a frown and worried eyes .

" Ah - yes . Don't worry . I am fine . " ; Draco said , blinking out from his daze .

" Draco , we know that a lot is going on and you are trying but please don't make yourself sick . We as well as you cannot afford it ." Blaise followed practically .

Giving them a very rare and small smile , Draco placated them ," I am fine . It's nothing a nap cannot cure. Just found some very interesting books yesterday and spent the night reading them ."

Giving him a worried glance but choosing to believe him , Blaise and Pansy continued their work . Unknown to them , Harry , who was seated just behind them , had heard their conversation and also seen Draco's smile , making his mood slightly better than before . It was better enough that people did not run away seeing his face but not better enough that they will willingly stay there . Harry was not fully convinced by this , it seems . For the next days , He always had an eye on Draco , thoroughly observing him , searching for anything different . 

Draco has been feeling eyes on him for some time now . Given his hypersensitivity to a certain Savior-slash-golden boy-turned-stalker , he knew exactly to whom these eyes belonged . This had Draco sighing in exaggeration .He knew how Harry saw him and of his guard against Draco . Putting it bluntly , he knew why Harry did all of this . And this did nothing other than Luar demanding to curse the supposed saviour to save his son from a perverse stalker who , according to him , was going to corner Draco and then dirty his precious body and ruin his prestige by ravaging him . OH!!!! Such a tragedy ! Though certain people would definitely rejoice that . As to who , you and I both know that , don't we ? 

(T/N - I would definitely rejoice . Comment your opinion about an early smut scene .)

After much coddling and reassurance to Potter's integrity , Luar finally continued his daily lessons . He had already started steadily improving his magic and also learning from Luar . It was when Luar started teaching him that Draco realised that he was a natural talent . Relaying the same to Luar , he waited for an answer .

" A natural talent cannot be identified just by looking at the face , Draco . It is something that will be known when you finally master it - if you master it . And by that time , even if you are , it's of no use . Talent can be cultivated but determination cannot . That's what you need Draco ."

Frowning , Draco nodded and continued . He agreed with Luar . Then though about Potter being natural at , let's say , everything that could attract a harem of top notch beauties and gave a scowl-pout-sneer hybrid which looked positively cute and negatively weird . 

Turning his attention back to the book in his hands , he started reading. According to it , healing was not just about spells and potions . A potent healer should know everything that harms a wizard and should be able to reverse it as well . That includes curses , spells , physical and mental injuries , mind attacks , legilimens , occlumens , potions , etc . It was a very wide , if not infinite , study . Thus , there can always be a good healer , a miraculous healer but never a perfect healer . 

Another thing Draco noticed was that it did not distinguish between light and dark magic . It was all in there and it was all helpful . It seems people from ancient times did not differentiate between dark and light magic . It was all the same to them .

It was becoming a habit for Draco to learn from Luar's books and then try the cures on the small animals that so needed it . There was not a shortage of them in the school gardens or at the edge of forbidden forest . Draco did not go in there , better to be safe as it was a delicate time . Days passed as Luar's personal library was falling short on Draco's progress and now Draco scanned the Hogward's library as well. Him and Luar had noticed that every time they wandered by him , Harry's eyes always followed them till out of sight . It was up to the point that it was starting to get creepy and harder to ignore. He chose to ignore it as Potter did not do anything else other than stare . Confronting Potter right now will be making an enemy out of the whole wizarding world . Potter had an unparalleled importance in this time . Draco cannot afford to offend him . Maintaining his distance is the only option and safe retreat .

Well , it wasn't everyday you get the golden boy as your stalker !!! Draco swore that it was a medal worthy feat !!!! 

Draco had a very sound understanding on his position . Right now , the thing he needed the most was knowledge . And he was snatching it from wherever possible . At this point , Draco had almost raided some of the most vast libraries in the world . The only ones remaining was the black library and the lost library of Pennsylvania , if that fairytale was real . Raiding Hogward's library , including restricted section was as easy as swallowing a dozen of his mother's vanilla pudding . Ahh !!! He could feel the saliva dripping from his mouth just by remembering the taste . Well , that luxury is for another time . 

It has almost been two months since the bathroom incident . The time was spent effectively and not wasted but the thing needed was still not obtained. The information on the marks were so rare that he had only found about 5-6 books with anything about them and most of them repeated the same theory . It was all the same as Luar's book . Nothing more was ever sighted but less was frequently found . Almost all of the ancient magic was lost and Luar's texts would easily pass for a treasure . 

_______

Draco was on his own on the edge of forbidden forest trying remedy spells on small injured and infected animals . 

In front of him was an infected eagle with swollen wings which he stumbled upon some time ago . Apparently lep it had caught an infection from an injury . Fortunately , it was fairly common and easy to cure . Draco closed his eyes and waved his hand over the wary bird as he let his magic cover it , telling it that he meant no harm . Slowly lowering his hand and resting it on the bird , he let his magic flow in it's body and kill the infection in it , gently healing the worst wounds and letting the small ones heal on their own . Taking the herbs he bought from Hogsmead last week , he crushed them in his hands before lathering it on the wounds . The eagle looked up at Draco with its beady eyes and he thought that it might not leave . It felt like the bird was silently thanking him . But this proves wrong as it flew away . Draco looked as it flew higher and higher . Someday he will be the same. He will heal all his wounds and fly higher than anyone and nothing could stop him then .

A twig crunched behind him . Draco turned back and found a very confused potter there standing there . Stunned , Draco stood there , staring at Potter as he stared back . His mind in a panick as he wondered if Potter saw what him perform wandless magic but then decided against it and struggled to squash his anxiety .A small moment from potter brought him back as he quickly analysed his situation and decided on getting out of here as fast as possible .

Schooling his face to put on the usual cold and expressionless mask , Draco moved past Potter to get back to the castle . He did not wish to speak or banter with Potter right now . He had better things to do . It was then that he felt a rough hand grab his elbow and a slight intrusion in his mind . Draco broadened his occlumens sheild as he looked back at Potter and demanded ," What is the meaning of this ,Potter ?"

" How did you do that ?" ; Voice only a hushed whisper , Potter asked .

Your mother's eggs* !!! He saw !!! What to do now ??!!

(Your mother's eggs*- just a stupid slang i made myself .)

Feigning negligence , Draco replied ," Do what , Potter? And would you mind letting my arm go ? This is highly inappropriate . "

Harry stoned his face as he stared at Draco with cold and unmoving eyes. Trying to unveil what he actually was .

Harry let his magic surround Draco trapping him there , unable to move . It crackled in the air around as it let Draco feel it's power . Draco was stunned at this . 

Fuck !!! Your father's eggs* !!!! He even knew how to use it !!! With this Draco felt his legs trembling slightly .

(Your father's eggs*- another stupid slang .)

How did Potter do this ? Draco knew about this phenomenon . But using wandless magic like this was nothing more that a fairytale in this age . He was able to do it because of Luar's help . How did Potter know this ?

Draco's eyes flashed a calculative gleam as he again assessed Potter from head to toe . It was better not to provoke him . Draco didn't want any attention to himself right now . Revealing the tip of the iceberg did not seem a bad option if it meant getting Potter's hands and eyes off him . It was seriously scaring him .Looking in his eyes , Draco spoke ," What do you want to know ?"

" Why did you become a death Eater ?" This was the question that had been up in Harry's head for a long time , it had been there like a poison , slowly flowing through his blood , spreading across his body , as it maddened him more and more everyday .

Draco was momentarily dazed . He didn't expect Potter to ask this . It seem that Gryffindors were even more stupid than a fat pig !!! Hitting right on the sore spot !!! He was tempted to bite back but closed his mouth and replied ," Destiny is not as kind to everyone as it is to you "

Draco lowered his head as his eyes turned dark and hazy , lost at the bottom of an ocean of memories , dark , isolated and cold . He did not have any care for his pureblood image anymore . All he wanted was to get out , get away . 

Harry looked at the silver head , something unpredictable swirling in his eyes . Slightly letting loose the grip on Draco's wrist .

Draco wanked his hand back and gave Harry a seething glare as he walked past him as he followed Draco . Jumbled in their own emotions , none of them noticed that they were making their way right into the beast's stomach , right into the forbidden forest .

Draco kept walking and Harry kept following . Why was Potter following him ? Was interrogating him not enough , that now he needed to escort him as well ? He was too busy in his gloating that he did not notice Harry lifting his head and looking around with wary eyes . 

Harry walked to Draco , grasping his shoulder ,said ," Draco , wait "

Draco shrugged his hand off and turned around to face him . His eyes were glowing as if containing silver embers . Mouth set in a scowl and muscles all over his body tight as he said ," keep your hand to yourself , Potter . They won't be attached to your body the next time " ; His voice low and tight .

Draco had finally lost it . He knew that Potter was stronger than him , knew that he could not afford to offend him , but it did nothing to stop him. Draco could keep his cool even in the face of death but could not do it in front of Potter , could do nothing to stop himself . If Potter was a bright spark than Draco was a lush forest . Just a touch was enough to destroy his every barrier , every resolution . It was enough to burn him down to dust and he could do nothing to stop it , because it wasn't the spark that fuels the fire but the forest itself .

The threat did not even faze Harry as his eyes remained the same , hard , cold and resolut . He looked right in Draco's eyes as he grabbed his forearm and pulled him . Draco's back collided with a hard chest . Harry had his right hand holding Draco's left wrist trapping his waist and his left hand on Draco's mouth . This position had entirely trapped Draco .

Draco was already screaming in his head _' I have never been disrespected like this before !!! How dare he hold me as such !??!! Shameless !! Pervert !!! Molester !!! You fraud of a saviour !! Such things might be fine in muggles but such behaviour towards a pureblood is absolutely indecent !!! '_ Draco had his eyes wide as he struggled to get free . He realised his magic and tried to push himself forward but it was promptly suppressed by Harry . 

It was then that Luar , sensing the disturbance , woke up from his sleep and immediately knew something was wrong . 

Voice serious , he said ," Draco , wait . Something's not right . Don't struggle . "

Hearing Luar's voice in his head , Draco calmed down slightly as Harry said into his ear ," Don't move and take a look around . Don't be stupid enough to invite your own doom "

Looking around , Draco was surprised to see the thick canopy of trees and plants . He did not even notice walking into the forbidden forest . By the size of tree trunks they were deep into the forest , possibly right at the center of it . But this was not what caught his attention , it was the slight purple hue on the tree trunks and the leaves of plants that intrigued him . These species of plants are not supposed to develop any kind of hues . Curious , he tries to move forward but was immediately tugged back , entirely plastered against the one and only Harry Potter . Right now he felt like the bread dough made by , Jack , a house elf back at the Malfoy manor . When he made bread , he would tug , turn and sqaush the dough harshly every time as if it was his worst enemy there instead of a dough . He felt the same being manhandled by Potter . But he did not protest and stayed still as Harry cautiously tugged him forwards towards a clearing .

Draco noticed more of the purple hue but now on the ground as it made a trail ending inside a dark cave nearby . 

Silently entering the cave , they already had their wands pointing ahead . Reaching deeper in the cave a bizarre sight made its way into their eyes . 

An enchanting and beautiful woman was laying on the hard ground , curled up against a huge egg . She was cleary wounded greatly by the blood polling around her . The sight was gruesome but beautiful in a sick and bloody way . A blood-bathed beauty .

Draco walked closer and this time Harry did not stop him but stood in place keeping his eyes on the woman for any movement . He knelt beside her and lightly felt her pulse and found a thin and very weak pulse . He couldn't have noticed if not for his recent practice on different species of creatures . She was still alive but only barely . Looking again at her , he noticed that she had two slanted wounds in her shoulder bone . Her bone was clearly visible and looked like a piece of it was ripped out .

" A veela . It seems whatever happened to her seemed to aim for either torture or her life . Maybe both . It was because of her that the magic around here was unstable . It was her magic doing that " ; Luar's voice sounded . 

Draco closed his eyes and infused his magic inside her , trying to maybe heal some of her injuries . He knew that Harry was there and exposing himself like this can bring unimaginable consequences , but all his life he had seen people died . Just like that , their eyes losing the light and body crumpling down . He always wished to do something , save someone but could not . This time there was no one stopping him , he could atleast try to save her . And for Harry , what was the worst thing that could happen ? He would have a additional tension on his head but he knew that no matter what , Harry will not sell him out . 

He could hear Luar screaming in his head to not expose himself but Draco ignored him and continued . He quickly stopped the bleeding and tried to heal the internal injuries . Realising that only his magic will not do the job , he opened his bag to take out all the herbs and potions he had. Crushing some herbs and lathering it in her wounds and force-feeding her the potions , he finally moved back . He noticed that Luar had stopped talking , looks like he gave up . Turning his head to see a cold but burning gaze directed at him , Draco almost toppled back but steeled himself rigid . Catching Potter's gaze , he looked right into his eyes , not willing to admit defeat . 

Seeing Malfoy keeping his gaze , Harry felt his eyebrows twitch . It was always like this .Each and every time . Those silver eyes always did something to him . It gave him the illusion that Draco was like a prey staring at his predator . He was so innocent , thinking he can take Harry on , thinking that he was a hunter and Harry was his catch . If anything he should be thankful that he thought so . If he showed even a grain of fear ….. if he just dared to turn his eyes away , Harry knew that he would pounce on him like a lion on his prey , aiming for his throat , aiming for a kill . 

Harry's throat bobbed up and down as he gulped , thinking of his teeth sinking in the Draco's throat .

" _-cough-cough-_ " ; a feeble sound came from behind Draco drawing their attention .

Harry walked forward and knelt beside Draco . He looked as the woman barely opened her eyes and looked at them . She seemed startled and clutched the egg tighter to scramble back . Draco leant forward with his hand outstretched as though to bring her back . But seeing the terrified look in her eyes stopped and lightly let loose his magic , covering her , caressing her , comforting her . The woman relaxed slightly but was still wary .

She looked at the herbs on her body and looked back up . Her eyes turned from wary to confused and to grateful as realisation dawned on her . 

Struggling to lift herself up , she moved and squirmed . Seeing her difficulty , Harry gently lifted her to sit up and let her back rest on the stone wall behind her . 

" Did you help me ?" ; Still holding the egg , she asked . The egg seemed very important to her . 

"Yes" , it was Harry's voice that replied .

"Thank you , but I don't have much time . The poison is still in my body . It cannot be cured . Half of my body is already useless . I am sorry to waste your efforts _-cough-_ "

Draco hurriedly soothed her back , saying," Don't speak if it hurts . Just lie down ."

She smiled wryly as Draco again washed her with his soothing magic .

" You are good people , aren't you ? _-cough-_ Fortunately , I met you here . Please _-cough-cough-_ help me . Please take him and hide him. "

Now she was wheezing but still unwilling to leave her sentence incomplete . Her hand clutched Draco as she pleaded them . 

Her request shocked both of them as they looked at each other before she continued .

" Please . I cannot live anymore . _haaaa-cough-_ save him . Please save my child " She wheezed with tears running down her bloody cheeks . Her breath grew laboured as she tried to force her words out . It was then that her neck rapidly started turning purple and she clutched it in a frenzy , her arms and legs thrashing around , withering from agony .

The sudden change panicked Draco and Harry as they tried to find what was wrong . Draco kept giving his magic as it kept bouncing back and her pulse kept growing weaker. 

At a point it completely stopped as did the woman's thrashing . Draco slowly backed away . Still dazed from the suddenness of all of this . The egg was still there . He looked at it and remembered the woman's words **"please save my child "** Was this her child ? How could there be a child inside this egg ? Draco first thought that it was a creature's egg but did not expect it was the veela's . He knew that veela's gave birth and were not oviparous . Maybe it was adopted . 

Harry was looking at the egg as well and he could hear a faint heartbeat from it . He was sure that something was inside it . Casting a lumos , he put the wand tip on the egg . The inside of the egg became somewhat visible . The egg had a translucent yellow substance inside it with a dense irregular shape in the center with red branches coming from it to spread in the egg .

A gasp was heard from Draco . Draco looked at the sight in wonder . Putting his magic in the egg he tried to examine what it was . But as soon as his magic entered the egg it was rapidly absorbed by it . 

Jerking his hand back , he looked wide-eyed at the egg and turned his eyes to Harry . Understanding his intentions , Harry repeated what Draco did and soon mirrored his expression . 

"What should we do ?" Harry asked .

" She is already dead . We can only take it back . " ; Draco said in a small voice .

"Hhmmm" Harry replied as he stood up and handed the egg to Draco . He soon dug a pit to bury the woman . After burying her , both he and draco knelt in front of the grave and silently paid their respects . 

Heading out , Draco held the egg in both his arms . The egg was as big as a person's torso and was hard and smooth shelled . It gave off a peculiar warmth . It was a soft and gentle warmth . The kind newborn babies give off. Well , it was a newborn baby just with a shell over it . 

Thinking that inside of this is a baby made Draco feel a sweet warmth in his chest as he tucked the egg inside his robes to keep it warm . 

It was then that he heard a chuckle from beside him that he remembered that he wasn't alone . Glaring at Harry , he squinted his eyes as he tucked the egg even closer , making it completely disappear in his robes , leaving only and big bump on his torso . He thought _,' I am a Malfoy and Malfoys did what they promised even if it was extremely embarrassing !!! HMPH !! '_

Harry who had been watching the aristocratic pureblood coddle an egg like a real child could not help but chuckle . And his chuckle turned into a laugh when the same aristocrat turned to glare at him and somehow held the egg like he wasn't holding an egg but a pregnant tummy . In all of this he did not miss the bright red Labrinth of his ears hiding behind silver hair . It pleased him greatly to see such a different Malfoy . 

_' Malfoy is different after all . All these years I saw what he showed me . And now that I really see who he is , it seems surreal . I was such an idiot to not see his real self sooner '_ Harry thought as he smiled at the scowling Draco as he buried his head behind the egg .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello , everyone ! Sorry for the late update and I kinda started to make Harry a bit dark as promised . Also , the first bun finally appeared !!!!
> 
> **Hope you enjoy reading !!!!!!!!!**


	6. A threat is made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter , you will notice :-
> 
> 1\. A noticeable personality change Harry gained after meeting and learning from Eloise .
> 
> 2\. A more funny Draco from outside pov .
> 
> 3\. Harry's behavior change when it comes to Draco .
> 
> 4\. A cunning and practical Harry as promised !

Draco and Harry walked side by side to the edge of the forbidden forest . Both in their heads thinking what to do now. 

Stopping at the edge of the thick vegetation , Harry turned to Draco .

" We need to talk " ; Harry said in a resolut tone ,leaving no space for refusal .

They both knew that there was no way to hide things now . Both of them had revealed their ace cards . The only option they now had was a co-operation to attain their respective goals . Over that , they were handed this mysterious egg of unknown origin . 

Harry stood there , searching Malfoy's eyes . He could see the helplessness , the tiredness and risk swirling in those silver eyes , like the dark blemishes on the face of fair moon . He kept his lips pursed tightly , his head bowed down. 

" You know it's inevitable "; with a monotone voice Harry lists .

" I know what the situation demands of me , Potter . But what I do not know is your credibility . How do I trust you ?" ; Malfoy's voice was a mere whisper , filled with an empty void . The words brushing his ears like a frigid wind . 

As they say , the one who experiences heavenly tribulation is the one most fearful as well as most thankful to the Heavens .Malfoy is still wary after the ordeal with his father .

"I believe I've proven my credibility enough , haven't I ? "; And it was true . Harry had no wish for unnecessary actions .

" Do not jest , Potter . There is no one alive who will not use a leverage in the time of peril . If you do not have a reason now then what about when you do ?" ; Malfoy said with a giggle in his voice like a fleeting mirth . He was still looking ahead , avoiding Harry's gaze . 

The ones who don't understand the honeyed words will surely understand the language of threat. And Malfoy was exactly of this kind . And Harry was proficient in both .

Stepping forward to stand behind Malfoy , Harry caressed his ears , his fingers barely touching the skin , cold from the gloomy winds . His face so close to Draco's nape that he could see the faint veins running down beside his ears . 

Harry's eyes darkened as he said in a voice similar to silence at the bottom of a deep dark sea , captivatingly haunting ," Carefully weigh your words , Malfoy . Once inside other's ears , they always stay there , no matter how much you wish you hadn't delivered them so "

Malfoy forgot that Harry had enough strength to turn the tables against him , in political situations as well as public image . Harry's word was enough to destroy him . He did not need leverage over Malfoy . He forgot that no matter how brave or good or righteous Harry was , power is an inevitable lure , especially in the form of control over his arch-nemesis , over someone like Draco Malfoy , **especially Draco Malfoy .**

Hand running down to Draco's throat , gently rubbing the small protrusion . It was a wonder that the tiny ball wasn't running up and down but slightly trembling . 

" Ahhh~ ever so perceptive , aren't you ?" ; Whispered Harry . He wanted Malfoy to remember this fear. Wanted him to remember what Harry could do to his life . But no matter how much he reminded , Malfoy always forgot . Such was the anatomy of Draco Malfoy , the threat was remembered but the fear it brought forgotten . The calamity was lost but the disaster it bought always stayed behind . But it didn't matter , Harry will keep on reminding him .

His hand lay on Malfoy's throat as he gently curled his fingers over it to cover the delicately translucent skin . 

Malfoy was stiff as a rock . Harry , satisfied with his demonstration , smiled shallowly . His threat firmly grounded in Malfoy's skin , his nerves and memory .

Stepping aside , Harry moved to stand in front of him to see his eyes wide and face pale . He looked Malfoy in the eyes and smiled a very gentle smile looking especially innocent in glasses as big as half of his face and unkept hair splayed across his forehead. 

"Wait here while I fetch something " ; Harry commanded as he made his way to the school leaving him to stand there . He was not worried about Malfoy running away . He was smart enough to understand what he should and shouldn't do. Soon retrieving the invisibility cloak , he made his way back. 

Seeing Malfoy still in the same place , Harry made his way towards him .He had his 'calm even in the face of disaster' mask up again as he looked up at Harry . Malfoy may think that his mask is perfect but he did not miss the way his pupils contracted the moment he caught the sight of Harry. 

" Come inside the cloak " ; Harry said as he put the cloak over his head , beckoning him to step closer . 

Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he squinted at Harry . Realising his hesitation , Harry sighed as he pulled a startled Draco right into his chest . He did not have time for a 'too proud to be near you' pureblood and didn't realise that it was actually a 'too close to be comfortable near you ' Draco .

Drawing the cloak to completely cover them , he looked down to see a very stiff Malfoy holding the egg in an awkward way so as to not touch Harry .

Ignoring the awkwardness , they slowly made their way to the castle . Entering the huge hallways , Harry slowly guided a very awkward Draco to the seventh floor .

Silently walking through the wide corridor , Harry had an inkling that something was coming . Which proved correct as the next moment Snape made his way across them . He hurriedly pulled Malfoy behind a statue as he vigilantly eyed Snape's moments . 

Hearing a silent 'tsk' from Draco as he shifted slightly to better accommodate the egg , Harry put his hand on his mouth to mute him for good . Snape , probably hearing the 'tsk' , had stopped walking and was now looking around . He kept his grip on Draco as he squirmed and struggled to get Harry's hands off him .

Looks like Malfoy did not like being touched . Finding such a good opportunity for years of revenge !!! How could he let it go so easily ?!?!

Smirking slightly , Harry slowly dropped one of his hands down as he watched Malfoy's eyes warily following it . Slowly closing it just beside Draco's waist , he smirked as Draco looked up to give him a burning glare before returning his eyes on the hand . 

" NO ! Don't you dare ! You pig !!!" ; Malfoy said in a whispered angry hiss . His eyes darting to look at Harry before going back to the offending hand still hovering over his waist .

Harry was having quite a fun . It was vividly amusing to watch the perfect proud pureblood being so twitchy . 

" Pig ? To believe such atrocious words to be heard from the Slytherin Prince !!! What will the other snakes say ? I guess such behaviour is to be expected considering that Slytherin are a bunch of species lacking in decency" ; Harry irked whisperingly as his other hand drew closer as if to lay on top of Draco's head. It was obviously a threat . If he willed to utter anything else , he won't have one but two hands on himself .

Sensing the warmth on his scalp , Draco lifted his head again to give Harry a last scathing look before tightly closing his eyes and burying his face in the egg between them . Harry looked on as Draco's whole body stretched tight , readying itself for his hands , for his touch .

The general must run away when he has no soldiers to fight the war and surrender when ambushed with no chance of escape . And Draco is very much ambushed . Surrender ~ is the decision taken by Malfoy , it seems . 

Smirking, Harry gradually lowered his hand . It was just about a hair's breadth away from Malfoy's head when it stopped and slowly drew back by itself. 

Harry looked at the person in front of him and then at his own hand. He was confused . 

**Why ?**

. Why was his reaction so different for Malfoy ? What did he have to make Harry behave in such an abnormal way ? Why was Harry's own body defying his will for Malfoy ? First was the incident in the girl's lavatory and now this . What was wrong with Harry ? No . What was wrong with Malfoy ?

Finally , Harry still did not touch Draco because it truly did feel inappropriate to touch Malfoy in such a way . Instead , if it had been Ron , Harry would not have thought twice. His eyebrows scrunched slightly with this thought which soon disappeared with the departure of a very grumpy Snape who didn't find anything , promoting them to continue their journey .

Stopping in front of the tapestry , Harry opened the wide doors of the room of requirements . Leading Malfoy inside and closing the door again , they came inside to the sight of a very cosy room with a fireplace and a couch in front of it with tons of soft blankets . 

Raising an eyebrow , He looked down at a similarly confused Malfoy looking around . He had not wished for anything thus it must've been Malfoy's wish for this room to appear . Still , to feign surprise is too much of an anomaly . Harry exclaimed in his thoughts _,' Malfoy is such an antique piece* !!!'_

{ Being an antique piece* - having a different or peculiar personality compared to others . Like an rare antique art piece between hundreds of commonly found art pieces .}

Sitting on the couch to make themselves comfortable , Draco started to wrap the egg up with a blanket , thinking _,' It is an egg , surely it needs to keep warm ! And the weather is so cold , what if it freezes ? When I take him down to the Slytherin dormitories , I will have to cast several warming charms , won't I ? After all , dungeons are considerably colder than here .'_ Draco mused with a concentrated expression and scrunched brows as he again undid the whole wrapping to do it all over again. 

Harry watched as Malfoy wrapped the egg in thick blankets as he moved to again settle it on his lap . Waiting silently , Harry looked on . 

" what should we do with the egg?" ; Harry asked. 

"I don't know the future but I will take it back for now " , answered Malfoy in a troubled tone .

"Do you have any idea about what's inside ?"

"No . But that woman was a veela . I saw scars on her back. Her wings were ripped out and considering the wounds on her body , she must have been tortured ." ; Draco presented his analysis .

" Probably because of the egg by her protectiveness over it . Also did you notice the purple hue on the trees making a trail to her ?", Harry further questioned trying to ultimately estimate Malfoy's knowledge and worth .

"Yes , It was probably the poison in her blood which turned the plants purple . When the woman died she had the same hue in her neck . I can only conclude that she choked on her own blood which turned purple due to the poison and killed her almost immediately ." ; Frowning , Malfoy supplied . 

Harry looked at Malfoy , silently assessing his views and alertness . His eyes flashed a surprised gleam , thinking, _' Such knowledge and practical vigilance . An unpolished gem , he is ! '_

" The egg is probably of a bird or reptile but the size indicates it being of a larger species . Can you assess it again ?"

"Hmm " ; replied Malfoy as he again closed his eyes and Harry could already feel his magic surrounding the egg .

Harry could feel Malfoy's magic , cool and calm . If comparing Harry's magic to Draco's then Harry's was like the magma swirling and boiling in the depth of earth , tightly controlled while Draco's magic was like a single pearl at the bottom of a deep dark sea , silent and cold . One inexorably dangerous and the other cryptically mysterious .

He watched as Draco supplied his magic inside it . Some time passed as Draco , still in the same position with his palm on top of the egg , scrunched his eyebrows and pursed his lips tightly . By the looks of it , he was having quite a difficulty meaning they were about to gain some information .

Opening his eyes , Draco looked at Harry . The egg was acting very peculiarly . It was actively absorbing all of his magic . No matter how much Draco supplied . Sighing , he silently called out in his head ," papa , Can you help me with this ?"

" Finally remembering someone as me exists , is it ?" ; Luar answered in a very monotone voice. 

" I am sorry . I won't do it again ."

" Do what ?"

"Ignore you and not listen to you . Please , I already regret it "

"You ungrateful child !!!! I told you not to do it because I sensed this boy ! He might look simple but he is hiding much ! Even I am unable to guess what it is ! But he feels very similar to a person I knew , a very powerful person . And look where he got you ! You are right in his grasp ! Like a fool jumping right into the well , full well knowing that it already has a beast !!! "

Malfoy winced again and silently regretted his decisions . Why was he such a fool ? Now he not only got himself exposed to Potter but also threatened . He was a shame to Slytherins , wasn't he ?

To Draco , quite a time passed but actually it was only a moment . Looking at Potter , he said ," I could not find anything . It keeps consuming all my magic . I was not even able to check it's health."

Draco stopped before continuing ," Maybe you should try it ?"

Putting his hand on top , Harry silently closed his eyes . He tried to enter into the dense mass of the egg . That was when he felt a very strong backlash as his magic was rapidly being sucked out of him . He tried to withdraw his hand but it was stuck on the egg . Before he could call Malfoy , his vision blurred and blacked out . The magic from his entire body was sucked dry as he fell unconscious .

Draco looked as one second Potter was alright while the next he fell like a sack of potatoes . Panicked Draco moved to him . The golden boy cannot die on him !!! He did not need another murder charge !!! Checking his body to find that not only was his magic entirely depleted , his body was in a weak condition as well. Potter not only had deformed bones but also had many internal injuries yet to heal completely. 

_' Heavens , How many times did he come near to death to have so many injuries and still live along with it ? Is he even aware what a strain his body is going through ?'_

Taking out several potions he ideally made , he fed Harry a potion to replenish his health and another nutrient potion . Finally done , he stood up and looked down at the unconscious Potter . Now that Potter was asleep , it was the perfect time to slip out and avoid disclosing anymore than he already did . He did not care from where Potter learnt to perform wandless magic . For all he cared , it was the best as long as he did not interface with Draco's life .

So Draco being the little slimy snake he was , ran away with his tail between his legs , very much like a fleeing kitten , jumpy and puffed up .

Taking the egg with him , he silently slipped out . Once out of the room , he put the egg in his ring storage and made a run for the dormitories . Reaching his bed he slipped inside the drapes to pull them down and cast spells to keep them so . 

Now sitting in absolute silence , he thought. _' How did my great self land in this situation ? How the fuck !?! Over that I not only got exposed but also now I will have extra attention from Potter himself !!! Let's hope that he hit his head when he fell and has temporary ~ no , permanent amnesia . That will make everything so much easier . And not to forget , he also a very grumpy oldman to convince that he was truly apologetic '_

________ 

In the room of requirements , Harry woke up to see an empty room with no Draco and no egg . 

_' The kitty ran away , it seems . No matter . Where will he go ? To his dormitory ? To class? If he is in Hogwarts he cannot escape , can he ?'_

Just then an oldman living in his head who had illegally hijacked his head space , finally spoke after consecutive days of complete silence . 

" Finally , time that you woke up , brat . That boy of yours already went off running as soon as you fell " ; Eloise supplied.

" Did he ?" , Harry expected no less . It did not surprise him in the least .

" Sure did . A good choice to be an ally if you ask me . Even fed you healing potions before he went . He at least cares about you by the looks of it ." 

" He fed me healing potions ?" ; Now this truly astonishedd Harry . He did not expect Malfoy to actually care about him as such . It was a novel feeling . 

" He did . A vitality increasing potion and a nutrient potion . "

_' Draco Malfoy , what else are you hiding in your pandora's box ? '_ , Harry mused as his eyes turned an unfathomable shade .

Sitting up , he dusted his clothes and nonchalantly walked away .  


________ 

The next morning sitting down on the gryffindor table , Harry looked at Malfoy to see him eating his meal . He looked fine and pointedly ignored even glancing at anything other than his plate . Harry kept his eyes on him throughout .

That night , Harry silently sneaked out after curfew to make his way towards Slytherin dormitories . It was fairly easy with the cloak and the boon of parseltongue . 

Standing before the four-posture bed , Harry slowly parted the curtains . Inside lay Draco deep in his sleep , buried under the covers and a large white egg tucked under his arm . The sight unknowingly brought him a deep solace . 

He came here to do and find out what he couldn't yesterday. But looking at this sight all his will dissipated as if warm steam into air . Sighing , he pulled the covers further up , as he looked at Draco as he fell in deeper sleep .

Harry stepped a small step back as he whispered in the darkness ," I leave you for today , Malfoy , for the sole acknowledgement to your care . I won't let you off the next time ."

As they say , for doing something only a reason is enough but for avoiding something a thousand excuses are listed .

That night Draco dreamt that he was in a very huge cave with a mighty black lion . The lion confined him there and he did not move because of the fear he had for it . Everyday the lion brought him different types of fruit and berries . Days passed like this and nothing happened , the lion did not eat him and Draco steadily grew into a fat, round, jiggly vanilla pudding . His cheeks grew round and rosy , his skin grew a healthy pale . He thought that if the lion was always like this then he wouldn't mind staying with him . After all , he just wished for a truthful friend . But then , one day this thoughts changed . That day after the lion came back , he slowly walked to Draco . Draco was scared but he thought that it wouldn't do anything to him after being so good to him for such a long time . But then it stopped right in front of Draco's face with it's snout touching his nose and opened it's mouth wide . Draco could see all its big sharp teeth and smell it's horrid breath . It was then that he realised that the lion did not want a friend but a fat , healthy and bulky prey to fill his stomach !!! He was only a very luxurious Delish which the lion made a lot of effort , time and patience in preparing !!!! He was a sheep fattented for slaughter!!! Now Draco could see inside the lion's mouth as it closed its mouth over the Draco's head . And -SNAP !!!!

Draco woke up with a jerk to see it was early morning with the first rays of sun . He remembered his late grandmother telling him that dreams seen at the first rays of sun are not dream but visions . Draco felt immense dread at this .

Looking up , he imagined his late , blond , stiff but awesome-when-she-scared-father grandmother and prayed , _' If you are somewhere hearing me , grandmother , then please bless your humble grandson for good luck and smooth sailing days . I promise to offer you a vintage bottle of 300 years old red wine next Samhain '_

And this is when in the land of the dead , an old blond lady was looking into a wide mirror to see a young blond boy . Hearing him , she exclaimed ," This boy !!! Grew up to be such an unfilial brat ! Bribing his own dead grandmother ! He must have learn it from that idiot father of his ! I am going to curse Lucius from here ! He spoiled my good grandson !!! That good for nothing show-off son of mine ! He and his father , both the same !!! My dear Draco was such a sweet boy ~ grew to be such a gremlin ! HMPH !!! " 

She said effective cursing three generations of Malfoy family lords and heirs .

But still she plucked a small petal from the vase beside the mirror to lightly kiss and blow it off into the mirror , watching as it passes through to land on the head of an unfilial blonde , glowing and shrouding him in gentle light before disappearing . 

She elegantly stood up , muttering something like " well , I wouldn't mind the wine " before fading away and another soul taking her place in front of the mirror resulting in it changing the picture reflected .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi , Folks !
> 
> How is it going till now ? I expect all of you to be well and healthy and thankyou for reading my fanfiction .
> 
> Now that we are soon going to start the main arc and adventure , how are your reviews on the fic till now ? 
> 
> I know that it's not much but still I would like a reassurance .
> 
> **see you till next time ! Keep warm and stay healthy !**
> 
> \- Dr. Shipper


	7. Felix felicis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter ,
> 
> \- we started the main arc and are back on the story line .
> 
> \- Draco finally removed the dark mark. 
> 
> \- Harry grew closer to Draco.
> 
> \- super micro Luar/Eloise. It's just the beginning. We will know their story eventually.
> 
> \- Harry used the liquid luck.
> 
> \- Harry obtained memory from Slughorn.
> 
> \- the change in Harry from the views of people around him.
> 
> \- the bond between Harry and Dumbledore.

It was before curfew yesterday in the hallway that he encountered professor McGonagall , who told him that his presence was especially requested by headmaster Dumbledore at midnight.

Even if Harry wasn't too keen on working with him, he had valuable information about the war and many other things. Advantages can be gained only after derailing another person hogging them. And that was what he intended to do. Dumbledore was a good person, Harry knew that but he was blind to many things. Harry was grateful to him to an extent, an extent to which he trusted a well-meaning and knowledgeable but slightly foolish family elder. He went along with him because he needed more information about Voldemort. He learnt it early on, Know your allies but know your enemies better.

Walking through the deserted stone hallways of the castle , Harry made his way into the headmasters office . Entering he saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk , kindly and keenly waiting for Harry . 

Entering , Harry called," Hello Headmaster"

Smiling, Dumbledore replied," Hello to you as well, my child. How are you ? Fine, I suppose "

" I have been good, sir. As good as the days let me "; Harry answered mildly . Him being with Dumbledore relaxed his guard by a bit . The fact that this man is akin to family to him is easily proven as such.

Seating himself in one of the chairs , he waited for the main topic to reveal itself. Which came soon as Dumbledore continued," Harry, Do you remember what I asked of you? Have you gotten anything from professor Slughorn ?"

Harry's eyes took on an annoyed gleam but his face remained impressively impassive .

" No, sir. He is far more tight-lipped than we anticipated. "

" I figured so much. I know that this is a puzzling task I have asked of you. But do understand, Harry, you are the only one with a leverage big enough to get it done. " ; Dumbledore humbly explained. 

" Yes sir. I understand. May I take my leave now ?" ; Harry asked in a neutral tone while standing up. It was evident that he did not wish to discuss this any further.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Dumbledore asked with a mischievous shine in his eyes ," Oh yes ! Another thing, Harry. I have heard that you have been spending some time with Miss Granger as of present. Are you perhaps-"

Before he could finish, Harry interrupted him in a very monotone and as-of-fact voice," No sir. She is a good friend. But she is more of a sister than a romantic interest"

Dumbledore did not give up and further probed," I have also heard that Miss Weasley is a known company to you . Perhaps-? "

This time Harry cracked a tired smile and replied to the teasing," No sir . As of now I have no one as such. And I doubt that will happen till unpredictable time in the future"

" Well, do tell me if such happens. I will be very honoured to prepare a dowry for the coming family"

This confused Harry as he screwed his brows together and asked," Dowry?"

" Courting is with the intention to marry, isn't it? I myself have never done so but I do know the proper customs. If you tell me at the start of your courting then I will be having sufficient time to collect a wealthy dowry till the wedding" ; Dumbledore rambled on with a happy expression.

At this Harry's eyes widened minutely.  
_' Did Dumbledore believe that you are supposed to marry anyone you date? Is this because he is old and never married? Or maybe because he thinks everything is the same as a 100 years ago when he was in his prime ?'_

Harry suppressed the laugh bubbling out of him as he struggled to keep a cold face. He was successful in doing so but Dumbledore still saw the humour in his eyes even though his face was unexpressive. Stopping, Dumbledore sighed with a fond look in his gaze as he looked at Harry ," My boy, you have grown so much. You were the height of my waist when you first came to Hogward's. It's been such a long time already. You are almost as tall as me now. And soon the chick will leave the nest and fly away high. So high that I won't be able to even look at you"

Harry smiled, this time genuinely as he said ," How can that be? You still have to prepare the dowry for the wedding, won't you? Also, I am sure the next generation of Potters would like to see their great-grandfather."

Dumbledore's face shone with happiness even as a glassy look overtook his eyes.

" Oh, do bring them ! I might even let them hang off my beard !"

Harry stilled and stared at Dumbledore as he stared back before they started both laughing so loud that Harry had tears in his eyes.

Such moments were the ones that kept him up all these years. It wasn't food that nourished him or medicine that healed him, it was all this. These moments he had with people around him. Let it be the frequent scolding from professor McGonagall or the cheer from his quidditch team. All of this was what kept him alive, kept him as Harry and not the saviour.

* * *

Days have been going fairly good for Draco but a stale smell still lingered in the air . It was the feel of incoming doom that hovered over Hogwarts . Everyone was walking on eggshells these days , their instincts warning them about the wrong winds . 

As Draco was getting ready for the upcoming day , an owl flew in and gently dropped a letter on his desk . Walking over, Draco realised that it was from his mother. Setting down his wand , he took the letter in his hands to read -

  


Dear Draco ,  


How are your days? I have been fine. The manor seems lonely without you. I hope you are healthy and eating well.

Son , as you know that these days are difficult for everyone , including us . The dark clouds are drawing near and the rain is about to fall . We cannot stop the rain but I hope that you at least have a safe shelter over your head . You don't have to worry about me , I will be fine . But please make sure that you are fine as well . You are my son. If you aren't there, I won't be as well.

With Love ,  
Your mother .

A serious look overtook Draco , as he said," Papa , we have to perform the ritual today . "

Sighing , Luar resigned. He understood the urgent implications in the letter and thus said," Okay "

Draco was well aware of the impending near future. He didn't have much time to make further elaborate and foolproof plan. This was his only chance. He had to get the dark mark out.

Walking towards the great hall, Draco thought over and over about what he must do and what his future held . If he stayed with the dark lord , death is the cloud floating above him at every moment . He is like an animal trapped in a cage like a pet, having comfort but not having control over his own life and death . If he chose to side with the light , then sacrifice is the price paid. Both of these will take everything he has . So he has to take the only option left.

A wild beast is much better than a pet of either a great god or a vile demon . 

Sitting at the Slytherin table, Draco saw Harry eating his meal just across from him . With a start, He remembered the new medicine he made . It was a healing pill inspired from a very potent potion recipe he read a while ago . Draco made certain improvements in it so that it impacts all kinds of wounds and makes the healing process quicker. But he did not test it till now so it's efficiency was unknown. And who would be a better guinea pig than the great Potter . 

A slight smirk overtook his face and he hurriedly shortened down the stretch of his lips into a straight, small, pink line . With a quick unnoticed flick of his wand , he muttered a spell to shrink the pill into the size of a dust grain and sneakily levitated it into Harry's pumpkin juice before it came back to its original size .

He watched as the pill colourlessly dissolved before anyone could see it . Draco sighted with glee as Harry ignorantly picked up the glass to sip and soon emptied it . Now Draco only has to wait a day before knowing the result .

The next morning Harry woke up with newfound determination to break Slughorn's defences. Getting up and getting ready, he made his way to the great hall.

Seating himself, Harry served himself while making small greetings and conversations with his fellow mates. Even if he wasn't looking at Malfoy, he had his instinctive eyes on him. He noticed Malfoy's every movement, his every breath. So when he felt the omnious aura around Malfoy immediately after the quirk of his lips, he was sure that something was going down today. Which proved right when Malfoy sneaked a pill in his cup. It dissolved perfectly and quickly, leaving no traces other than the unnoticeable herbal scent. He wouldn't have known if he didn't pay attention from the beginning.

"Hey, Oldman, can you tell what he put in here?" Harry asked Eloise. 

The oldman had recovered some days ago and was now actively making his life difficult but he wasn't without advantages. At least now unexpectedly meeting Snape wasn't a sanity-threatening disaster that could wreck him. Well, he was still a sanity-threatening disaster , Harry just got an early reminder from Eloise and ran the other way as soon as he knew.

"Hmmm, it has herbs and by the smell they are of the top quality. I don't know what kind of potion it is but it isn't a life threatening one. It smells like a vitality potion to some extent but not entirely. Something is a bit different. You should drink it. It's probably a highly effective healing potion. It has all the healing agents but minimum impurities. That boy is surely a genius to make this. He seems to be meaning well for you. And so humble as to do it unknowingly ! Perhaps he's scared of your reaction. You have been at each other's neck for so long. He surely is insecure, thus chose to care for you secretly. " 

The oldman was rambling far and fast. Eloise had a favourable impression of Draco from the start. The reason for this is still unknown to him but something in him stirs at the sight of that boy's pale skin and blond hair. They seem so dear to him but still so strange.

Harry's lids halfway dropped as he lazily swirled the liquid in his cup and leisurely sipped it. He wanted to remember this taste, he might never have it again. The green in his eyes swirled like the orange liquid swirling in his cup, just like a tornado pulling everything in it.

Taking the last sip, Harry could feel the satisfaction and contentment in the air around Draco. 

_' Why are you so happy ? Did you want me to have it that much ? Did you want to apologize by doing this ? Or maybe you want to suck up to me after you witnessed my skills ? But then why do it secretly ? Or……Do you really care about me ? What is it , Malfoy ? Tell me. Tell me, won't you ?'_ Harry wondered . 

He wanted to know the answer from Malfoy himself. But he knew that he will never let these words out of his mouth. They will always be buried deep into his heart . Like a secret message bottle floating in the vast ocean never to be found, never to be read, never to be answered.

Harry was absent from this universe for the majority of the day, swimming in his own head. Ron and Hermione were quite worried as they looked at him. And Ginny was even more astonished at the sudden decrease of attention given to her and continued to linger around Harry for the rest of the day, vying for his attention but getting none. At the end of the day there was an ugly sneer on her face, totally different from the usual sweet smile.

It was almost evening when Ron and Hermione sat beside Harry in the Gryffindor common room. Sharing an uneasy look with each other, Hermoine gently called," Harry ? W-we were worried about you. Are you alright ?" 

Hermione's voice trembled for a moment when asking that. She and Ron both were rather wary of Harry now-a-days. They weren't scared of him. But the change in Harry was not subtle. It was just the way he moved and spoke as well as the look in his eyes that uncovered him. There was a subtle pressure around him.

Harry felt different. He felt like someone powerful, someone to be respected, someone to be obeyed, someone to be revered and feared at the same time.

**Harry felt like a Leader. A natural one at that.**

Harry turned towards Hermoine, searching her face for something as she stayed absolutely still. Turning back to face forwards, he hummed deeply.

Harry was not entirely inattentive to others around him. He was aware of the changes in himself . These were primarily due to Eloise and his teaching. He cannot say that Eloise gave him these , more like they were already in him , Eloise only bought them out earlier.

The lessons were very valuable and precious. He was not only taught defence but also offence in both magical and physical sense. His views took a large turn after meeting Eloise and seeing some things he experienced and the illusion tests Eloise had him take broadened his views further.

" It's nothing. Just that Slughorn is still as tight-lipped as ever. I need to get this done quickly", Harry replied. 

He waited for them to suggest something as they usually did but none of them spoke for the next couple of minutes as Harry realised that they were hesitant .

Trying to get his mind straight to them , Harry said," Do you have any useful solution?"

This garnered their attention . Hermoine replied first saying ," What exactly happened ?" 

" He just runs away everytime he sees me"

" Did you somehow offend him? ", Ron asked.

" No"

"......"

" Harry! Liquid Luck !", Hermoine exclaimed suddenly . A bright smile adoring her face .

Harry raised a sword-like eyebrow as he looked at her. Silently questioning her.

" Felix Felicis ! You have it, yes ? Use it ! This is the right time " ; Hermoine  
explained .

A slow smile and praising look shone on Harry's face as he said," Brilliant , Hermoine !"

Taking the vial out of his breast pocket, he opened the cork under the eyes of his trusted ones . Drinking it in one go , he lowered the vial. His body didn't feel any different. What felt different was his mind. He felt lighter , easier and more in control than ever.

"How is it ?" ; Ron silently whispered, afraid to startle him.

" Fine" ; Harry replied in a relaxed yet steady tone. Getting up, he gave both of them approving looks and made his way out . 

Ron and Hermoine were thoroughly stumped. This Harry was so different than the one they knew several months ago. But the change wasn't unwanted but instead they were glad for their brother .

A million sudden but kind changes were always better than a gradual but vile change.

After Harry left , Ron turned to Hermione and asked ," He had two vials of Liquid luck ?"

"No , just one "

"Then - I - he -" Ron stuttered with a confused look , frantically pointing towards himself then at the direction Harry left.

"......" 

Hermione looked at him with a ridiculing gaze before standing up to leave as well.

* * *

Draco had spent the day gathering and sorting out the items he needed and his plan after doing this.

As the sun lowered and the sky took a saffron hue, Draco set out towards the forbidden forest, hiding and sneaking , making sure no one saw him.

As he reached deeper in the forest to find a secluded but safe place , he noticed the dead trail of plants. Realising it was the same trail he and Harry followed months ago, he didn't stop but continued. It must have become like this because of the effect of the purple poison. 

Reaching the cave, Draco lowered himself down at the center of the cave. Taking out the vials he readied for possible accidents due to the ritual, he set them aside in a corner. He first made a huge array around himself followed by another protection array on the outside. Seating himself at the center of both those arrays, he called out Luar to help him through the process. 

"Should we start ?" ; Draco questioned Luar. His face had a serious but eager shine.

Receiving a sharp nod from the pellucid form, Draco took out a sharp needle to prick his index finger. A small drop of blood fell on the array craven below, transforming into fine crimson threads and covering his being before completely spreading in the air around him in the form of slight red mist. It effectively isolated him from the outside world. No one could sense what happens in this array, in scientific and magical sense. The magic inside is trapped inside and the one outside is trapped out. 

It was then that Luar slowly approached him and placed his hand on Draco's chest.  
He could feel Luar's magic in his body. The gentle magic swirled in his body searching for the dark magic embedded in him by the dark lord. He soon found a small wisp of dark amake swirling in Draco's blood. The wisp soon noticed him as he came near and flexibly escaped as the blue threads of Luar's magic chased it.

As soon as Draco realised that Luar had found the dark magic, he forcefully suppressed his own body and magic, suppressing the dark magic with it as well. This did not affect Luar as he was not dependent on Draco.

The black wisp ran here and there in Draco's body, forcing his veins to internally suffer . Luar was chasing it with every ounce of his ability but the thing was very quick and fast to escape. 

It was moving towards the dark mark on his arm, Draco realised. The wisp entered the dark mark surrounding it entirely and Draco convulsed in pain. He felt as if his whole body was shredding to pieces. He could hear Luar telling him to keep steady, that it was almost done but Draco knew that there was no going back now. If they did not remove the dark mark, he would die. That was what the wisp was doing . Because they wanted to remove it , it chose to end Draco rather than let him go.

The veins in Draco's neck were clearly visible now. His breath was ragged and struggling but he still kept upright, still suppressing his own magic. 

Draco doubled his effort as he blocked the wisp with his magic. The wisp was captured in a siege but one step forward and it will escape. Every way was blocked and he was losing his focus as the wisp ate more and more of his soul.

The drops of sweat fell from Draco's bowed forehead travelling to his tightly closed eyes. The pain was unbearable, it was worse than before. 

He was losing all his hope as his vision was slowly fading. Draco was going to die , he knew it. Well, at least he tried.

* * *

Walking out, Harry made his way into the forbidden forest . He had a very anxious feeling telling him that he was needed there. Passing Hagrid's hut , he entered the thick canopy . He started walking deeper into the forest , following his memory to lead him to the cave that he found with Malfoy earlier . 

Coming to stop in front of the cave mouth , Harry could hear slight grunts and shuddering breaths from the inside. Something told him that he needed to go in, even if his brain was screaming no.

Making up his mind, Harry walked in and almost fell back with shock.

_' Malfoy'_

The shock wore off when he saw the condition Draco was in. He was shuddering and silent tears were falling down his eyes with sweat mixing in. Without thinking twice, Harry rushed towards him. A slight distortion glowed when he crossed the array drawn below.

He took the pale boy in his arms, holding him. Panic was clear in those green eyes. 

" What is happening to him?!", He asked in a fearful tone.

He was so panicked that he did not even realise the soul on the other side of Draco with his hands still on Draco's chest.

" Hurry! Kill it! Enter his body, you idiot! ", Eloise screamed in the background.

Harry blindly followed and haphazardly injected his magic into Draco immediately finding the black wisp. He knew that this was the actual problem from the waves of malice it was emitting. 

Harry's magic surrounded the black wisp and the dark mark and pulled. Pulling at the vicious poison as smoke emerged from Draco's chest intertwined with a silver thread attached to his body. 

The sooty skull was thrashing, screaming. Harry did not give up and kept pulling. It was not working. He was growing frantic when - SLASH !

Eloise's silvery swords cut the connection between the silver threads and black skull.  
It gave a shrill scream and moved to enter Draco again when Luar confined it within an enchanted vial.

".................."

Everything was silent. The only sound was Harry's heaving breaths and Draco's silent wheezing. No one was speaking anything. The sound of cicadas outside was clearly sonorous. All their eyes trained on Draco as he gave a violent shudder and collapsed entirely, his eyes rolling back as he fell. Harry caught him, still frightened but more calm. 

Harry could not move his eyes off Draco, scared that one second will be enough for him to disappear . He did not want to see Malfoy disappear. He didn't want to one day look beside him and realise that Malfoy wasn't there sneering at him . That he couldn't hear those sweet insults anymore.

Harry realised that Draco's insults - no , Draco himself was like a flower of poppy to Harry. He was irresistibly drawn to him , still longed for him even if he knew that having any more of him will trap Harry in those deadly eyes.

He was addicted to Draco as if he was a blooming red flower of poppy , bitter yet addicting , able to induce torture with a single glance as well as euphoria with a single taste.

And Harry was already addicted even if he himself was unaware , his magic , body and instincts were well knowledged. 

Laying him down, Harry sat beside him, cradling him. It was then that he sensed that another presence was beside Draco. Looking up, he saw an elderly blond soul sporting a worried frown. The man took one of the potions kept aside and poured it into Draco's mouth and lifted his chin up to force it down his throat.

Harry let him as he knew the man was the one helping Draco before him. He only sat back and paid attention to his every move.

The soul ripped apart Draco's sleeve to reveal his dark mark. He squeezed the darkly stained skin as coal-black and dense liquid dripped from Draco's pores. Slowly, the thick black blood flowing down turned to the normal crimson colour. 

The dark mark was gone. Finally Harry understood what Draco was doing. He wanted to remove the dark mark. 

_' Why are you so brilliant yet so unpredictable, Malfoy?'_ ;He gave a relieved sigh.

" Thank you for helping us. I will be forever grateful to you for this, young fellow. " The soul said as he tended to Draco. 

Harry noticed that the soul seemed a bit lost. He was wary. But the wariness was not directed towards him but towards Eloise. 

Draco was still unconscious in his arms. His body lax and pliant, depending on him for support. His breath steadied and deepened as he fell into a bottomless sleep.

" Who are you? ", Harry asked the soul.

" This oldman in called Luar, third son of the 5th generation of Malfoy Family" ;Luar replied.

" 5th generation ? How old are you?" 

" Old , young man. Hundreds of centuries old. " , Luar said with a nostalgic look while peeking a look towards Eloise.

" OHH, Malfoy ,is it ?"; Eloise beamed, excited at finding a fellow ancient soul .

The same excitement wasn't returned by Luar, instead his eyes lowered with melancholy. 

" Why are you here with Malfoy?" Harry asked .

" Draco is a descendant of my family, accompanying him is my responsibility, moral as well as delight ", Luar sounded offended at being asked this even after informing them that he was from the Malfoy line.

The environment again fell silent. Harry stood up with Malfoy in a princess carry to walk out after saying," We should get him somewhere to rest. Both of you should hide"

Behind him, Luar silently disappeared into the brooch on Draco's necktie and Eloise slowly faded.

Heading out, Harry lifted his head to see the purple tint painting the sky . It was already nightfall. They needed to get out of here. The forest wasn't safe after dark. He was quickly making his way towards Hagrid's hut when he came across the sight of Professor Slughorn collecting the sap of a Bluethorn tree. Bluethorn sap was a precious potions ingredient and very expensive. The knowledge that Hogwarts had a Bluethorn tree was known to few. 

Creeping behind him, Harry said in ear," Good afternoon sir"

Slughorn jumped with a startled shout before looking behind to spot Harry with an unconscious Draco . 

Stunned ,he said ," Harry ! What are you doing here so late ? And what happened to Mr. Malfoy ?"

" Found him unconscious in the forest, sir . He was attacked by something and lost consciousness. Wanted to take him to Hagrid's to rest "

Professor Slughorn opened his eyes wide scanning Harry and moved to look at Draco. Finally replied ," Harry , I cannot let you out of the school grounds at such an hour !"

" Then why don't you come along, sir. This is urgent you see." ; Harry said, slightly lifting Draco higher and closer into his embrace .

Professor Slughorn seemed hesitant. Opening his mouth, he uttered no words but looked at Draco again and eventually said ," I still advice you to take Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary, Harry"

Hearing this, Harry turned to walk forward , clearly dismissing the suggestion. Seeing him walking away, Slughorn was indecisive but still followed after him while continuously calling his name.

Reaching the hut , Harry tapped on the door. The door opened to show a very happy Hagrid whose face changed after noticing the person in Harry's arms.

" Harry ! What happened?" He asked.

" I needed to bring him somewhere to rest and this was the only place nearby "

" Come in "; Hagrid said , opening the door wide to invite the pair of students and a professor. 

Laying Draco on the messily constructed bed, Harry checked his pulse and breath to find them weak but steady. He did it less to check Draco's health and more to assure himself of Draco's presence.

" I found him unconscious in the forest . He wasn't injured. Probably collapsed due to shock after encountering a beast. I wouldn't want to take him back like this. Heard from moaning myrtle that he cries near her due to matters with his family, it seems. " Harry explained.

" Poor boy, let him rest here as long as needed " Hagrid said with a sympathetic hum as Professor Slughorn gave Draco a pitiful glance .

" Would you like a firewhisky Slughorn ?" Hagrid asked in the meantime.

" Oh ! I would be delighted !~" 

Soon a pair of very drunk men were singing heartbreak songs . Harry was lazily resting in the background enjoying the skit.

They were talking about Hagrid's pet acromantula when He fell asleep sitting upright. And Professor Slughorn looked at Harry with reminiscent eyes .

Giving him a small smile , he said ," Do you know that once I had a fish ? It was a wee little creature . I got it from a student of mine, you know…..One day on my desk, I found a small glass pot with only inches of clear water and floating on top was a petal. I watched as it sank down and just before it touched the bottom , it transformed into a fish . It was beautiful magic, you know . Beautiful…... The petal was from a lily . Your mother. Then one day , the fish just vanished . Gone , disappeared. It was the day your mother-"

Slughorn released a tired breath before continuing.

" I know you need this . But - but I can't do this ", he said bowing his head , his voice a mere whisper.

" Professor, Do you know how she died? She died protecting me. She refused to step away . She was brave " Harry said solemnly.

"I-i" but before he could say anything , Harry interrupted.

" If you don't do this right now, Professor , you will dishonor her memory in the worst way. Then she died for nothing, isn't it ? Please, professor . You made a mistake, didn't you ? This is your chance to correct it . Be brave, Professor. Be brave like her "

Slughorn sat silent looking at Harry searching his face for something negative. Lowering his head again , he said ,"Please don't hate me ."

With shaking hands , Slughorn pointed his wand at his own temple bringing out a bright thread of his memory to put it into the vial he retrieved from his coat pocket . Harry grabbed the shaking wrist to properly deposit the memory into the vial.

Finally, the key to Voldemort's death was in his hands . The key to his victory was in his hands . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers,
> 
> So , we finally started the main arc !!!!!  
> Are you satisfied with the progress of the story and writing? Did you get the very subtle Luar/Eloise? I was planning to have them so but do you think it will be too much gay?  
> I was also planning Hermione/Pansy with a misunderstandings plot and Neville/Blaise . What should I do guys ?? Please tell me what you think is best .
> 
> Please look forward to the next chapter ! 
> 
> Be healthy and be safe , but most importantly - **Be Happy**
> 
> \- Dr. Shipper


	8. Euphoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we will see
> 
> \- Harry's expression of worry for Draco
> 
> \- The second appearance of their egg son.
> 
> \- the revelation of dark lords plans to kill Dumbledore and the existence of vanishing cabinet.
> 
> \- aaannnd .....( Drum rolls ) ....... SMUT !!!!  
> [ Not the whole way , not even skin to skin  
> touch but it's smut \\(0 u 0)/ ]

Opening his eyes, the first thing Draco did was to check his forearm .

_' Haaaaaa ! It's gone !'_ He thought with a huff of relief. Looking around to see himself in an expanse of white sheets and soft comforters, he sat up confused. Where is he ? He did not remember a place like this at Hogwards. Is it the teacher's quarter?

Draco was looking around when he heard the precise tapping of boots and at once he froze. His body tightening, getting ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger.

Entering the room of requirements, the first thing Harry saw was a frightened Malfoy with eyes as wide as an owls , looking at him with barely opened pink lips. He looked startlingly cute. He noticed as Draco relaxed when he saw it was Harry.

Draco took a long breath, patting his chest and reassuring himself that it was a false alarm. By now meeting Harry at unknown locations and basically being kidnapped by him was no groundbreaking disaster to Draco. Turning his eyes up again, he saw Potter waiting patiently. Harry sat down beside Draco. His body only inches from Draco's. And Draco felt invisible chains bind him in place as Harry slowly approached closer .

_' NO…... NO…..nonononono. Ahhhhh!!! Don't come any closer !!!! Too close ! Too personal ! Too scary !'_

Harry's eyes were dark and deep as if hiding an unavoidable grudge. He looked like a demon out to take a bloody revenge. And Draco did not remember anything he did to deserve it….. At least recently.

Draco eyes rounded comically before he shut them tight. Harry raised his hand and gently caressed Draco's cheek and waited like a spider with a laid out ready web, waiting for a sweet butterfly to state his hunger.

Feeling the gentle caress on his cheek, Draco's forehead wrinkled and head tilted.

_' Why is he caressing me? '_ and with a single thought the butterfly got stuck on the dewy web.

As they say, a single careless thought from the king can cause war and a beautiful nonchalant glance from the queen can make the whole kingdom fall.

Wishing to look at the convict's face to further assess his actions and solve the case, Draco opened his eyes to a slit and when nothing happened anymore, he fully opened his eyes to see a smiling Harry who in this moment looked eerily similar to Dumbledore but with very bad intentions. Believing that there was no threat, he opened his mouth to ask Potter what the hell he was doing when a similar hand joined another plum cheek and - STRECH!!!

Draco's small and beautifully defined face instantly flattened like a pizza dough stuck on the ceiling.

"Ah ! Wat ar ya daing !?! Lave me tis istace !!!! " ; Draco said with his cheeks still squashed. Pulling Harry's hands to no avail.

[ T/N :- What he actually wanted to say- What are you doing !?! Leave me this instance!!!! ]

Harry looked down at Draco and said with gritted teeth and a smile so tight that it might rip .

" Are. You. An. Idiot !?!?! " ; He said, punctuating each word with pushing and pulling Draco's cheeks back and forth.

" Eeeee !!! Aaaaaa!!! Stap! Steep!" , Draco screeched.  


[T/N:- ahhh!!! Aaaa!!! Stop! Stop! ]

Slapping both his cheeks at once, Harry asked again," Don't you know how to ask for help !?! "

This idiot ! What did he want to do ?!? He looked less likely to get the dark mark out and more likely to die ! Would it have hurt him to just tell someone !?! But no ! He will cry . He will shout. He will fight and run away . But not open his mouth and shout - "HELP! " What kind of stupidity was this ? Aren't Slytherins supposed to be smart and calculative ? Why is this one so utterly dumb !?!?!

Harry was truly furious, the thought of Draco disappearing from his eyes, from his life was frightening. It was chilling.

Seeing the anger and fear mixed in Harry's eyes, Draco paused and gazed deep into them. Harry was angry. He was angry because of Draco. He was angry thinking that something would happen to Draco. The discovery calmed his irritated heart in the single flutter of his tresses.

Draco's bony and slender palms overlapped Harry's own much larger ones. Draco's hands were so pale that the veins inside seemed like rivers of blue flowing through misty valleys. The nails pink and small, the fingers long and defined. These hands were the ones who punched Harry's face and ripped his clothes at various occasions. How can they still look so delicate ?

_' How pretty . Even his hands are like sculptured artwork. How can anyone be so beautiful ?'_

It was a stunning picture. Draco with his pale cheeks resting in Harry's palms, his pale fingers splayed over Harry's much darker, larger and rugged hands. So precious. So precious that Harry wanted to pick him up, lock him in an unbreakable glass box and carry him everywhere. Showing him off to everyone but letting no one even think of touching him.

Harry did not even realise that he was staring. And Draco who was confused and scared did not dare to move an inch. For one because there was no space to move with how close Harry was . And another was that his back had goosebumps with the way Harry was looking at him. Like if he even dared to move his eyes away, he will go berserk, like he will eat Draco whole.

Finally, unable to keep his eyes open without blinking anymore, he called, " Potter ?"

When Harry heard Draco's sultry whisper, it was as if a spell on his hands, commanding them to move lower, pull closer, explore wider and touch more. Over that, the light blush in his eyes did nothing to convince his body to stop.

Harry forcefully jerked his own hand and took on the cold and hard mask he had when in the company of others.

Draco finally had enough and vigorously started rubbing his eyes. Because he did not blink, they got dry and itchy very fast resulting in the redness due to overly scanty moisture. Not blinking was worse than dying by Potter's hands.

Moving back to stand straight, Harry caught the sight of Draco innocently rubbing his eyes, tears gathering at the end of his silky lashes.

_' He must still be sleepy. Ahhh! Now I feel like an obsessive pervert'_

Harry thought as Draco , unable to realise the hellish turmoil he was wrecking in Harry's brain , looked up to him with glassy blushing eyes and blinked, fluttering his curly wet tresses. His lips parted to display a small red tongue resting there, as if a sweet sensual fruit soaked in flowery wine to create an aphrodisiac for every sense - sight, touch, taste, smell and sound, just waiting to be consumed with delight.

SNAP! - and Harry's brain short circuits. In frantic hands, he pulled up the comforter , completely wrapping Draco in it and ran outside as if Snape was just behind chasing him. With a thud the door banged close.

" Hah. Hah. Hah" Harry took deep breaths through his parched and bobbing throat. Trying to cool the heat spreading through his body and the mysterious intoxication muddling his brain.

Panting, he stood there in the silence with his back against the tapestry . Sliding down, he silently pulled up his knees to bury his head in them.

_' Draco Malfoy, What tricks are you playing on me? Or is it me who's going insane ?'_

If Draco was playing tricks or if Harry was going bonkers was unclear. But what was sure was that Voldemort was stupid. Why kill people to make horcrux when there was Draco ? One soft glare and a soul tears in two. One small smile and a soul tears into a hundred. Draco would be a hot commodity for future dark lords. If he ever wanted to open a shop in diagon alley the name would go something like - _ **' Malfoy's Soul Tearing Shop'**_ with a **_' 40% discount for Slytherins and future dark lords '_** also included below it. HAHAHA !!! It would be hilarious , wouldn't it ?

[T/N:- the author states the absolute universal fact in the above statements. The earth can be flat but Draco Malfoy's smile can never not be perfect, otherworldly, wonderful, enchanting, gorgeous, supernatural, etc. ( Please add whatever synonym you choose) For proof, the word of any and every HP fan would suffice and would be irrevocably considered officially valid. If you think otherwise …….. **\** (°–°) **/** 🔪 ]

Stunned, Draco quietly stared at the closed door. It was then that he felt a slight movement inside his portable storage ring.Wanting to investigate what was happening, he inserted a little of his magic inside it and closed his eyes to peer in the inner space of the ring.

In the inner room, a huge egg was rolling around, wrecking things left and right. When it noticed Draco's presence it stilled for a second and then started to excitedly swinging in the same place.

Draco almost banged his head on the headboard behind him due to the mental shock. Looking again, the egg was still there, merrily swinging. In its playful fun, it had knocked many things down and the room was a disaster. It was still playing when Draco saw the tumbling trunk just above the egg, about to smash it into an omelet any second. Without a second thought, Draco pulled the egg out of the ring .

The egg which was eagerly happy and celebrating his nurturer's return by rolling around was abruptly pulled to fall down straight into his dear nurturer's arm. He was so happy. His nurturer felt so warm and good and his magic felt so yummy.

Draco looked down to see a huge egg wriggling in his blanketed lap. It was just wriggling into his lap as if snuggling into him.

With wide eyes, he shouted with utmost shock,  
" Potter !"

Harry ,who was outside the door, had never left. He didn't dare leave Draco alone. Who knows when he might disappear again ? Or worse die somehow. He did not like either of those possibilities. So when he heard the call, he readily rushed in forgetting his inner debate entirely.

Entering Harry saw a familiar egg on Draco's lap. But the difference was that it was moving. And Draco ,who looked positively petrified, was crawling away only for the egg to keep coming to him again and again.

_' It is following Malfoy'_ Harry realised with a start and said calmly," Don't move, Malfoy. It's following you. If you stay put then it will as well"

Heeding his advice, Draco stopped. The egg actively rolled onto his lap and settled against his stomach. It was swaying side to side while sitting there. The swings were so vigorous that Draco knew that anymore and it might throw itself off the bed. Which was exactly what happened within the next moments.

The overly excited egg swung itself so wide that it rolled off Draco's thigh, about to fall on the floor.

" NO! " Came an urgent voice as Harry quickly extended his magical sense to softly catch the egg.

The laboured breathing of two extremely appalled boys echoed in the chamber.

Harry wandlessly pulled the floating egg to himself catching it in his arms before walking to bed and keeping it there again.

As soon as it touched the sheets, the damned thing started moving again. Scared that it might fall down the bed again, Draco freed his hands from the comforter. Laying his arms on the white shell, he tried to steady it but instead of stopping it kept moving around even more at his touch.

Fed up with it, Draco rebuked at harshly, " Stop ! "

The naughty egg paused at once , leaving both Draco and Harry surprised. Draco gently took the egg in his embrace , slowly caressing the top of it. For the past months, Draco had been actively paying attention to it. It felt like a natural instinct to care for it. He read a number of books in search of any information about it but found nothing. But reading that eggs of magical creatures usually need some kind of nourishment, Draco was worried. He tried different types of potions and liquids but nothing was working and everyday the egg's heartbeat grew weaker. Letting it consume magic was too risky after what happens to Harry. It was one day that Luar told him about an ancient extinct creature that fed it's egg it's own blood that Draco tried to do it as well. And when he spilled a bit of his blood on the white surface of the egg, it rapidly absorbed it ! Since then , Draco has been periodically giving it his blood. The effects were not unseen as soon the heartbeat grew stronger and more stable. But the current advancement was totally unforeseen but the egg had always been different. Afterall which egg sucked blood and magic ?

Looking at the egg and then at Harry, Draco silently reached out for Harry's hand, quickly lifting it up to his mouth for a hard bite .

" Ahhh ! What are you doing ?" , Shouted Harry while holding his hand.

With a burning glare, Draco answered, " Feeding it "

His eyes were literally daring Harry to object and Harry, like the good guy he was, chose to stay shut. After all, He did not want to overly scare Draco. The amount of fright he had given him in the past months was enough. He did not want Draco to run away again. He wanted to keep him at his side and for that to happen Draco himself must not want to leave. This was going to be hard but it didn't bother him.

Harry was going to trap Draco to his side like a honey-bee trapped inside a greenhouse filled with blooming flowers.

With silent endurance, Harry let Draco grab his hand and guide him to squeeze it over the egg . He watched with curiosity as the white absorbed the red complete, not even leaving a drop or a stain.

As soon as the egg sensed Harry, he found him familiar. But he could not remember exactly how. Now that he tasted Harry's blood, he remembered that it was his protector! He did not meet his protector for a loooooong time so he forgot but now that he tasted his protector's blood , he will surely remember forever. He gave a happy nudge to his protector to show that he was full before silently snuggling into his nurturer again. It was so warm and snuggly here.

Harry and Draco watched the egg with quizzical surprise. It's behaviour seemed almost similar to a baby. The more they looked the more baffling it was.

" How did it turn like this ? " Harry asked Draco, wary at the peculiar and unknown being.

" I don't know. It was fine before this. ", Draco answered similarly wary but more trusting because of it's company through the months. He knew that it was different and might be dangerous but also knew that it was more like a pitiful lost child .

" Then how did it turn like this ? "

Harry's question sounded like an accusation to Draco , so he answered with all his fervour ," I told you . I don't know . All I did was give him some of my blood now and then "

" And why did you do that ?"

" It was dying ! And blood was the only thing that it consumed "

Harry sighed tiredly and stayed quiet. But to Draco it clearly looked like he was looked down upon. Like he was a person too idiotic for his attention. A Malfoy can take everything but he will never take being looked down upon.

Fuck decency and manners ! He was going for it !

Pouncing on Harry with an angry sneer, Draco grabbed his collar to say ," What are you sighing at ?! You think you are better than me ?! You hypocrite ! Bastard ! Idiot! Smelly Pig !"

Looking up, the sight of Draco sitting on top of him while leaning down all the while screaming profanities was so much of a stimulation that Harry barely registered what his words meant.

His eyes first widened and then narrowed. His half lidded pupils darkly looked at Draco. In a second , an astounded Draco was beneath Harry's body . His eyes shining a shade of verdant green displayed an unspeakable danger, hiding deep evil. He slowly leaned down his lips brushing against soft lobes of Draco's ears.

" You know, Malfoy , sometimes I wonder if you really are a Slytherin. You never learn, making the same mistake again and again. It's hilarious if you ask me"

At that moment Harry's voice sounded with a husky tone. Like the deafening roar of wind during a storm or like the low gruff and throaty sound made by a lion to warn another of its limit .

" What do you mean ?" Asked a breathless but equally confused and still angry Draco.

" What I mean is that you shouldn't tickle a sleeping beast , Malfoy . Don't let my gentleness fool you, I can me much more cruel when I want to "

He stopped to further lower his head. His nose buried in the crook of Draco's neck. Breathing in, Harry's head was filled with the clean scent of water and herbs akin to a flowing waterfall surrounded by lush green forest. He smelled inebriating.

Without even lifting his head, Harry said in a rough voice," Even I have limits. Don't try to cross them. You won't be safe, Malfoy, especially you. "

Tilting his head to look at Draco, Harry was satisfied to see a pair of wide eyes. Moving away, Harry sat up and gave Draco a sunny smile with dead eyes . Pulling Draco to sit up, he said again , " Come on , up we go . We need to leave as soon as possible "

Draco was terrified , the gloomy emerald of Harry's eyes scared him. They were atrocious. He was scared stiff. And he remained so even after Harry pulled him up and silently dressed him in his uniform robes again.

Draco remembered when he had gotten the dark mark and assigned his first mission, he had felt exactly how he was feeling right now. The vile faces, bloodied fangs and snake skin all flashed in front of his eyes. What will happen if these people truly enter Hogward's ? What will happen if he really killed Dumbledore ? He knew that he could never , right now the possibility was lesser than ever . But that is because the ritual succeeded . What would have happened if it had failed?

With a jerk , he came back to himself. Gripping Harry's wrist , he said in a desperate voice ," wait "

When Harry turned back , he continued," I can't leave . My - my friends . I need to speak to them first . Also I still have to tell you something. Something important."

" Go on "

Draco hesitated for a minute before putting forward his thoughts.

" But first you have to make the pact. I can't completely trust you to tell you everything unless"

He did not need to say which pact . It was clearly obvious as to which pact Draco referred to when he made the request to Harry.

Drawing out his wand , Harry made a sharp cut on his palm . Looking ahead , he found Draco doing the same. With their hands lifted high, Harry slowly pressed their hands closer , he let their bloods mingle and mix together .

" Do you, Harry James Potter, swear on your blood to never intentionally or unintentionally betray Draco Lucius Malfoy?" , Draco started.

" I do "

" And will you keep all the information about the dark lord known from him hidden , never to disclose it without his assertion?"

" I will"

" Thus, the blood pact is sealed . And with this , it will remain till the end of eternity, to break it shall mean to cease from existence, your soul and body, to keep it means to cherish the bond formed "

But when Draco tried to pull back his hand, Harry gripped it tight and looked into his eyes, saying.

" Do you , Draco Lucius Malfoy , swear on your blood to never betray Harry James Potter ?

" I do ", the reply was instantaneous.

" And will you always , no matter where and when , trust him even with your life ?"

At this Draco stilled. Did he ? Did he trust Potter enough to give his life in his hands? The answer , astoundingly and anomalously, was yes. Draco trusted Harry to the extent that if Harry truly asked him to jump off a cliff , then Draco would fall head first while trusting Harry to somehow catch him. When had they become so close ? Was it in the hallways ? Or was it their accidental meeting in the forest ? Or maybe it never truly happened , it was just there. It had always just been there but they just never saw it.

" I will ", Draco whispered while staring right back at Harry, not trying to hide even an inch of his heart .

" Thus the blood pact is sealed . May it remain till the end of time. To break it is to cease from existence , your body and soul, and to keep it is to cherish it's bond."

Their mixed blood glowed like rubies , swirling together and forming two crimson beads . One of which sped towards Harry as he lifted his hand in an attempt of self defence , ultimately colliding with his wrist before disappearing entirely. While the other sped towards Draco as he turned his body sideways with hunched shoulders with the grace of natural instincts to shield his vital parts. Not stopping, the bead unhesitatingly melted into the side of Draco's neck.

All at once , the intense magic from their pact made its presence known as a jolt of electricity ran through their bodies.

Harry was able to maintain his composure but the same did not apply to Draco. With gentler magic and healing properties , the pact magic wrock havoc in his body.

His every nerve was alive and withering, his brain vibrating, his ears abuzz and his sight vibrant. It is absolute euphoric pleasure that he was feeling.

As his knees gave out , Draco tumbled down. Harry's hand soon followed with a flick to stop him in mid air . His magic surrounded Draco , completely encompassing him. And his body went entirely pliant, hands hanging down and head thrown back with wide and surprised eyes with wheezing pants.

No, this wasn't euphoric pleasure . It was euphoria itself. It was purely mind numbing euphoria , Draco learnt.

Harry's hands came forward to hold him and a single touch of his palm on Draco's waist was enough. Draco's back arched , his mouth flew open and eyes rolled up spilling intoxicated tears .

Harry watched as Draco's whole body convulsed . The warmth at his arms length, twitching at the slightest brush of his magic , felt incredibly enticing to him. It was as if Draco's magic, soul and body was calling to him. Just like how the scent of wine drew a drunkard , Draco was drawing him. All he wanted was to encase Draco in more of his magic and more of himself. So that's what he did.

He watched as Draco's back arched in his arms, as tears spilled from the blushing ends of his eyes and as he choked on his own breath before going completely unconscious.

Silence prevail for some frail minutes.

_' Did he -? Is it - ? Was it actually what I think it was ? Untouched ? So quick ? And so intense? Because of me ? What the fuck actually happened ? '_

Such thoughts ran amoke in his brain, feeling it up with wet pink lips and a withering warm body. Physically brushing these images aside, he diverted his attention to the worn out and totally spent boy unconscious in his embrace.

Harry carefully picked up Draco and laid him down on the bed . It was then that he saw the wet patch in his trousers. A shuddering breath passed through Harry's dry throat into his chest cooling his hot blood mystically boiling there.

Tearing his gaze away from Draco , wordlessly and wandlessly casted a cleaning spell in him. The egg which had been silent for a long time , unwilling to disturb their discussion now actively rolled to Draco , nudging him here and there.

Harry found himself softly saying to it, " Don't worry . He's just asleep "

The egg , hearing Harry, rolled to him to give a soft nudge as if a hug and rolled back to Draco to snuggle into him again. Even this egg had such an endearing character.

Setting himself beside Draco, Harry laid down as well. He needed sleep too. Exhaustion was clawing at his body and his temples were already throbbing. Pulling the blanket to cover them , Harry draped his arm over Draco's waist , laying his palm on the egg. Closing his eyes , he thought , _' So warm . No wonder my insomnia disappeared. It somehow seems that the solution to every problem in my life is somehow related to one git. Or like my entire life is somehow connected with his.'_

Sleep came easily to him after that. Pulling him into the dream about a small waterfall amidst a flowering herb valley. It smelled so pleasant , so addictive.

* * *

Draco was still half asleep when he felt a gentle caress on his head. Groggily opening his eyes, Draco saw the blurry picture of a dark and defined face. Squinting his eyes further , his vision cleared to spot Harry sitting beside him, gently stroking his head.

" Potter ? What happened to me ? "

" Don't sit up . You're still weak. You fainted due to excessive exposure to magic " Harry informed seamlessly omitting half the fact. If Draco did not remember then it was better not to remind him. Afterall, given Draco's pride , hearing this he would probably spit blood and then proceed to choke on it and die .

Meddling in his own filthy thoughts, he almost missed Draco's weak demand owing to his hoarse voice ," water "

Harry immediately conjured a glass of water after seating him upright and brought it to Draco's lips , slowly lifting the bottom up.

Finishing the water , Draco called ," Potter, I have to tell you something. Will you bear me out ?"

After taking a moment to ready himself , Draco spoke quietly in a barely heard mumble. But Harry heard it loud and clear.

" I was assigned a mission…. an assassination…. of Headmaster Dumbledore."

Harry's eyes widened and Draco visibly panicked ," Wait! listen ! I am not insane enough to let my own people die. Even If it means saving the whole lot of you while simultaneously risking death. That's why I am telling you about this. There is a vanishing cabinet in the room of requirements linked to another one at Borgin and Burkes . "

After saying this much , he lowered his head to hide obscure eyes.

Harry looked at Draco and wordlessly wrapped his arms around him, strongly resisting the stunned protest he got. He kept his arms tightly wrapped around Draco .

The words in his heart that he wanted to convey so much but didn't know how were restlessly blooming in his heart , melting in his blood , mixing with the air in his lungs at every exhale and eventually seeping into the body pressed against his.

_' it's fine now.'_ He wanted to say. _' I won't let you go even if you begged me to. So don't worry . You won't ever be alone again.'_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So readers ,
> 
> Here comes the second chapter ! So our first bout of smut is here. It my first time writing smut ever ( excluding the non-con from ' I wish I had never met you' ) 
> 
> How was it ? Spicy ? Sweet ? Or as I say, pure euphoria ?
> 
> Answer in the comments and leave kudos !!!  
> And **HAVE A NICE DAY!!!**
> 
> \- Dr. Shipper.


	9. No escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Warning !!!**
> 
> **NSFW / SMUT / SEX SCENE .. READ ONLY IF WISHED . If you don't want to read than stop before the fainting scene .**
> 
> In this chapter ,
> 
> \- The pensive is read .
> 
> \- Dumbledore's comment on drarry duo.
> 
> \- change in Draco's view about Dumbledore.
> 
> \- Harry scheming.
> 
> \- the appearance of pansy , Blaise , Theo , Ron , Hermione and Neville.
> 
> \- Harry making Ron realise about his mistake.
> 
> \- Ron's view change towards Draco .
> 
> \- And ... ( Drumroll )..... SMUT !!! with actual touching this time but still not all the way . And I'll be truthful it has *whispers* somnophilia. 
> 
> \- Last but not the least , Ron being dumb .

Draco felt a pair of hands circle him. Stunned, Draco instinctively struggled and the force increased, squashing him. Unable to move anymore, Draco gave up on getting free and focused on getting air .

_' Ahhh! What does he eat !?! My ribcage is going to shatter !!! This Gorilla !!!'_

Draco was in a desperate state. Air was so sparse that no words were spoken.

After a long time and probably breaking a dozen Guinness World records, Harry let a wheezing Draco go.

Sitting back , Harry said," I need to visit Dumbledore. Will you stay here and wait?"

Scrunching his brow , Draco's mood went down. He really didn't want to wait here. And he didn't trust Dumbledore. Who knows what the scheming old fool will do ?

Making up his mind, He said ," Do you trust him ?"

" well, Yes" The confused but assertive reply came from Harry.

" I don't trust him that much. But If you trust him then do what you need "

With a slight chuckle, Harry answered," Ah! So this is the reason for the sneaky behaviour . You don't need to worry . It isn't that Dumbledore is evil. It's just that he is naive. No matter how old and revered he looks, he is still very foolish"

Draco's face showed clear doubt but he nodded. Even if he did not agree, he still believed Harry's judgement. But he still did not want to stay here alone .

" Can I accompany you ? If it isn't a bother, that is " Draco questioned with a hopeful tone.

" Sure" Came a chuckled answer.

Gathering the egg into his ring, Draco tidied himself . Curious at the disappearance of the egg, Harry asked, " Where did the egg go ?"

" Oh ! That . I transported it into my portable storage ring. Look " Draco said, showing Harry his ring. He took the egg out and put it in again , relishing in seeing the surprised look on Harry's face.

As Harry's eyes widened at the appearance and disappearance of the egg out of thin air , his heart secretly envied the treasure. But the envy wasn't visible on his face but instead the look of wonder prevailed there. Harry was acutely aware of the haughty upturn of Draco's nose as he over exaggerated the expression to get even more of that sweet look.

_' So cute. If he really is this amusing all the time then letting him out of my sight will be impossible '_

* * *

Entering the Headmaster's office , Harry saw the elder sitting behind his desk. Hearing his entrance , Headmaster Dumbledore looked up to see his dear pupil .

With a delight , he called ," Oh! Harry ! What brings you----" But was stunned into silence when a saw who was hiding behind Harry.

" Draco ! My child , What brings you here today ? I must say that I wasn't expecting this visit but am very glad that you came"

Dumbledore's words, Harry noticed, held a hint of relief. The only conclusion he believed possible was that Dumbledore knew about Draco's emotional state but didn't know what to do , so he chose to wait for either Draco or fate.

Draco was still unsure and kept behind Harry. After all, if a supposed attack came then Mr. Hero Potter can probably fight it but on the other hand , someone like him who is an esteemed potion student, charms and array expert and a healer apprentice, cannot .

With a sigh, Harry turned around , put his arm around the reluctant boy's shoulder and pulled him right beside him.

In the full sight of The Headmaster, Draco was as stiff as a rock. While awkwardly looking anywhere other than at the elder's face.

Harry who was observing from the sidelines, pulled Draco closer, saying," I actually got Slughorn's memories " While like a stumbling doll, Draco fell right into his chest.

Rubbing his aching nose, Draco hissed," Can you not touch me ? Is touching just anyone common to you? "

Looking down , Harry smirked," Well , I am not just anyone, am I ? After all we took a-"

Before he could say anymore , a pearly hand clamped on his mouth.

" Shut it or , I swear, I am going to hex you into -"

The hand on Harry's mouth was already pulled back as he provoked further," or what ? You are going to hex me into what ?"

Harry's eyes gleamed darkly, daring Draco to continue. He really wanted to see how amusingly cute Draco can be when he was furious.

Looking into his eyes, Draco tsked with a sneer and cold fury in his eyes. He refused to answer and let Harry get what he wants.  
Hmphhh! Thinking he can outsmart Draco! Dream on, git !

_' Ohhh? It seems kitty can be scared but cannot be provoked . What a character he has ! '_ Noted Harry .

" Ahm ...ahm" came an inquiring sound from the Headmaster's throat.

With his eyes spectacularly pointing towards the other side of the room , Headmaster indicated Harry . It was so obvious that Harry gave Draco a silent look before following , as if saying _,' See ? Naive and foolish '_

Draco returned the look with lifted eyebrows and worried eyes as if saying, _' yeah. Clear. Very clear. He really is naive. How did he survive till now ? We need to look out for him. The headlines **‘ The greatest wizard dying after tripping on his beard ’** will be too much trauma on the wizarding London. '_

With humorous eyes, Harry followed behind Headmaster. Behind the bookshelf, Harry's hand was tightly gripped by an overwhelmed elder, saying," Harry ! My boy , How can you talk about the memory pensive In front of Mr. Malfoy ?"

" Sir , I trust him "

" Child, Are you sure ? That too so suddenly ?"

" I am sure , sir . I trust him with my life "

Staring into Harry's eyes , Dumbledore finally backed down. Walking out , He gestured for the young men to seat themselves.

Now seated, Dumbledore asked without reservation, " Harry , show me the pensive"

Taking out the pensive and handing it to Headmaster , Harry sat back to meet the questioning gaze of a silver beauty.

Understanding his doubts, he transmitted his isolated voice to Draco's ear , saying," It's Slughorn's memory . Apparently, Voldemort was his prized student "

With surprised eyes, Draco examined the pensive in Headmaster's hand as he slowly poured the smoky memory in the palette of insights . The substance seamlessly dissolved and disappeared in the clear liquid.

Harry and Dumbledore, both , curiously immersed their faces in the palette as Draco patiently waited.

An uncertain amount of time passed and Draco was almost dozing off when a startled Headmaster straightened, immediately followed by Harry. Dumbledore stood up and stumbled to retreat some steps back . His face literal materialization of horror.

Draco sent a perplexed and frowning glance to Harry, wordlessly asking him about what he saw to scare a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore. But the look in Harry's eyes wasn't as terrified but more complex .

He answered with a single word ," Horcruxes " and Draco's eyes blew impossibly wide as he jerked his head towards their Headmaster. That explained the terror in the elder's face.

Horcrux , one of the most evil magics to exist , was known and used by The dark Lord. That explains why he did not die .

Harry did not understand what had both Draco and Dumbledore so frightened . Horcruxes , was it ? All he thought after seeing the memory was how to find all the pieces and work on destroying them . The fact that Voldemort had Horcruxes was nothing more than a clue , a piece of inside information . But obviously , it meant much more and deeper for the silver haired young and elderly before him.

" How many ?" He heard a whispered voice ask.

" Seven " answered Harry as he attentively watched the shift of expression on Draco's face that the reply made.

" I knew it was dark . But something this dark , this evil . I did not expect it. " Dumbledore said suddenly.

" What are they ?" Asked Harry.

Headmaster immediately got up to open a drawer pulling out a destroyed book and ring out .

" Could be anything . Mont common of object for example a diary or a ring "

" Tom Riddle's diary "

" Yes, when you saved Ginny Weasley in fourth year, you destroyed it ultimately destroying Voldemort"

" And the ring ?"

" Belonged to his mother . Difficult to find. But -" Dumbledore lifted his hand , showing the blackened and dried skin ." Even more difficult to destroy "

A gasp escaped Draco's lips . His eyes trained on The Headmaster's hand. The skin there was extremely wrinkled and sticking to the bone . Blackened by the effects of evil and dark magic . If it was someone else , they might not realise but Draco did. It was corrupting him and rotting his magic . Headmaster was dying and if they did not do anything soon , the day will come even faster.

" How will we find it, sir ? It could be anything " Harry asked.

Draco's eyes focusing on the ring . What did it have to harm the Headmaster as such ?

Headmaster readily replied ," Exactly , but magic especially dark magic -"

A pale hand lifted and a single finger grazed the ring. A sharp gasp was heard and Draco surged back. His eyes unfocused .

Images . Images of a faceless man , of green flames and a terrifying snake. That was what flashed before his eyes.

" leaves traces " Dumbledore finished. And Draco tumbled back. His head throbbing and aching .

A strong hand supported his waist as he rested his back on broad reliant shoulders.

" You should sit down . You just recovered from over exposure to magic and are extremely sensitive. " Harry commanded while leading Draco to sit in one of the chairs.

Dumbledore anxiously followed , questioning, " Draco , my child. Are you fine ? Such an extreme reaction is uncommon. Is your body in good health ?"

" I am fine , Headmaster. Just some mishap during positions " Draco lied and Harry did not object. It depends on Draco what he wants others to know about him.Harry did not need and wish to say otherwise.

" I am still not over the worry . I think you should visit Professor Pomfrey. I can request her to come if the pains too much" Saying this he stood to send a patronus but was stopped by Draco.

" It's fine , sir . It would be unsightly to bother Professor at such a late time" ,Draco reasoned.

" If you say so , young man ."

Turning to Harry , the Headmaster requested," I cannot do this alone. Again , I must ask you for this sacrifice, Harry "

" What is it ,sir ?"

" I must ask you to accompany me to find and destroy them."

" That's why you have been travelling for the past months , isn't it sir ?"

" Yes"

Draco felt dread creep up his brain. They were going to do something that could possibly kill them, possibly kill Harry and surely kill Dumbledore. If he really died then the fate of wizarding London is in ruins. The Dark Lord was already planning for Headmaster's death . Over that the situation of his hand was severe and he was already weak. Death can come faster than he can imagine . No ,this can't happen.

Interjecting between their conversation, Draco said," Wait , you can't really be thinking of going alone ."

Grabbing Harry's collar , Draco , with a hasty voice , uttered, " You can't. I won't allow this "

Harry's eyes widened and he smiled with a beautiful arc, trying to sooth his nerves ," We have to do it , Malfoy "

_' Don't act so cute , Malfoy. Or I won't be able to keep myself from pouncing you '_

With worry etched in his gaze , Draco replied, " You Don't understand . I- Don't . Just don't."

" Shhhh. Calm down. It's okay. I know. I know. It's going to be fine ", Harry's gaze held an unspoken understanding as if a flicker of Draco's tresses was enough for him to read his thoughts.

The green hue and arched lips ,as if casting a spell , had Draco relax bit by bit . Calmer than before, He looked up with worried eyes and said with an urgent voice, " Potter, you remember what I told you right ? This will only result in the worst."

Harry's eyes gleamed brilliance as his lips arched more and more . " I know. So relax. We will figure it out. "

The worry in Harry's eyes was self evident and Draco slowly softened and relaxed , putting his weight on the hand around his waist. Potter had a kind of unspeakable aura to him . Draco felt as if he was being guarded by a ferocious beast , most secure but the most dangerous as well . But he still did not part. The feeling of safety and security was a novelty for Draco who was monitored every second , by his own people as well as others . He wanted to have his fill of this feeling, even if it wasn't real and only an illusion cast by Potter's saviour image.

Expressing their tacit understanding of each other , they turned to the Headmaster. With resolute firmness, Harry said," When will we be departing ?"

" The news will reach you as soon as it touches my ears." Dumbledore humbled.

" Very well"

Ending their discussion, Harry and Draco moved to leave when a sudden sentence stopped them in their tracks .

" You make a good team. "

Both of them turned to face the smiling elder .

"As if the moon and the sun . Apart you are powerful forces but together you are phenomenal. Make good use of that fact , my boys "

In the elder's eyes only pride and assurance shone as he smiled more happily and merrily than ever.

* * *

On the way back, Draco ,with his head filled with stormy water , asked " What is your plan ?"

" My plan is to let people think and scheme and watch as they fall in their own schemes "

" I assume that you are aware that the Headmaster is going to die if he doesn't do anything about his hand ?"

" Hmmm"

" You are going to let that happen ?"

" You can't wake up a man who was never asleep and you can't keep alive a man who already wants to die "

Draco wasn't shocked at this discovery.

" So we just let him die ?"

" Oh no . If he wants to die then who are we to stop. Let the Wizarding world see Dumbledore die but he will still be alive in the basement of a certain school. "

" And how is that going to happen ?"

" Hmmm. Let's see. Do you want to know ? "

" I want to know "

" Then say “ Big Boss , please tell me ?” and I might"

Big Boss? Big Boss ?!? BIG BOSS ?! MY ASS !!!

An icy scowl decorated Draco's . With a swish of his sleeve , he hurried forward with angry steps. And a chuckling Harry followed behind with a much more leisure pace.

_' Bloody Potter ! Smelly Pig ! Thinking he can make fun of me ! Just wait ! I can make it out myself ! Who needs that uncultured git ?! '_

* * *

Again in the room of requirements, Harry sat on the sofa beside Draco's , patiently waiting for certain people. They had sent urgent letters to their respective mates , asking them for an audience.

They had justly decided that the news about their coalition should be essentially informed to their trusted allies as well.

Soon the door opened and Pansy Parkinson , Blaise Zambini and Theodore Nott entered . As soon as they caught the sight of Harry , their wands were out while complete shielding Draco behind them.

Harry's eyes turned a horrifying green and his magic reached out to blow them away from Draco and pull him close to him . But before anything could happen , Draco stood up , firmly and calmly saying ," Wands down "

The three Slytherins looked behind them and immediately stepped behind Draco . Their wands still in their lowered hands and eyes still vigilantly on Harry.

" It's fine. Why don't you take a seat and relax yourself " Draco said while motioning to the couches behind them .

Seating themselves , the triad looked at Draco silent questions in their gaze , quietly waiting for an explanation.

Harry leaned back , eyes still on the unfriendly allies . Legs spread apart comfortably , his emotionless voice softly asked Draco ," I didn't think that Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't be invited "

His gaze unflinchingly meeting the angry glares directed at him as he leaned closer to Draco .

" They are still trusted ones . Just much more suitable for direct and simple missions ", was the reply he got .

Turning to Draco , Harry searched his beautiful features as he noticed that his eyes held a certain warmth and gentleness when he looked at people in front. A sudden fire burned in Harry's chest as he tasted the sourness on his tongue . His eyes froze completely and his face blackened into something terrifying.

_' Do you look at every friend like this ? Are they so important ? Do you love them so much ?'_

Reining the beast in , Harry soothed the violent fluctuations in his heart . Patience , He will have his chance . And when that time comes, it will be Harry reflected in those eyes. It will be him showered with care and love and gentleness . Him , before anyone else .

Harry snapped out of his dark thoughts when the door creaked again and this time it were certain gryffindors who entered. Hermione and Ron were quick in action while Neville was shocked into a statue.

A pair of wands instantly raised followed by three wands pointed in opposition.The slytherins and gryffindor stood facing each other , their faces in focused vigilance and bodies in tight muscles. Neither sides moved, both at standstill . Not wanting to start and bear the responsibility of starting a fight but still wanting to damage the other side.

Harry and Draco stood up at once . Harry's cold voice commanded ," Stand down "

No one moved , all of them in a tie . Stepping down would mean they admit defeat.

" STAND DOWN " , a chilling voice boomed .

Like soldiers obeying their Emperor , both the sides took a step back while lowering their hands.

Seeing that they were still tense , Draco ,countering Harry's strictness , said calmly," Why don't all of us sit down ? I am sure that all of you are eager to know the subject of this urgent request. "

Seeing Draco , Ron's face sported a disgusted sneer . The reaction did not escape Draco but he kept his face neutral and chose to ignore him. On the other hand , Pansy had noticed as well and raised her ever ready wand when a hand lightly tapped it . She turned to see Blaise indicating towards Draco who gently swayed his head from side to side , telling her to stop. Even if she hated the gryffindor , she respected and valued Draco more. Her wand slowly lowered.

A cold and hard gaze swept over Ron whose face inquiringly looked around to search for the source of it. His eyes met hard emeral once and a frightening chill flowed through his body as he lowered his eyes , afraid to even lift them .

Harry's eyes swept across the room filled with a triad of gryffindors and a triad of slytherins. Meeting Draco's gaze , he slowly started , " All of us are well aware of the situation right now . And we reckon , after much discussion , that a mutually beneficial alliance is the best of the choice."

Draco followed ," Harry and I have decided that mutually working together will benefit us more than working apart. Since all of us have essentially the same destination. "

Numerous faces turned sharply astonished. Their eyes held disbelief.

" Harry ! You cannot actually be agreeing to this ! " Hermione screeched , her mouth falling open in shock.

" Mate , you can't be serious ! These slimy snakes cannot be trusted. Mate , you know that they are absolutely rotten bastards ! " , Ron followed.

As soon as Draco heard him , a thunderous look rose in his eyes . He stood up with a calm and resolute manner and turned to Harry.

" It seems that your people aren't too keen on this alliance . So, We will be leaving first. I am thankful for this suggestion but the deal between us will end here. Any exchange of information will be distant and mutual---"

Before Draco could finish , Harry made a swift motion with his hand and Ron fell to his knees , screaming due to the pain in his legs.

Gasps were heard all around . And Hermione stutteringly called out ," H-harry" But instantly shut up with a single glare.

Standing up, Harry grasped Draco's elbow and pulled him to stand in front of Ron.

Ron's eyes were wide in disbelief. How could he ? Ron was his best friend ! How could he do this to Ron for a despicable Slytherin !?! Looking up , Ron saw Harry's stony face . It held no remorse , no apology and no pity. All because of that slimy git ! It was that Malfoy who did this?! He surely hexed Harry !!! How dare he ?!

" Apologize " Harry's voice sounded. He looked at Ron as if looking at a stranger.

Ron kept his mouth shut , refusing to heed. A sharp glint passed Harry's eyes and the force grinding him down increased.

" Apologize" Harry called again.

Still no words were heard. The force increased further. Sweat dropped down Ron's forehead . His face turned white due to the pressure on his body . Draco was growing worried. This was going too far. His eyes turned to Harry and soft words were spoken, albeit with an urgency unknown ," Potter , stop "

Harry didn't stop. The force increased steadily. Ron's face was turning blue. Hermione and Neville were frantic but didn't dare come forward . The Slytherins looked bothered as well.

Draco grabbed Harry's hand which was pointing the wand at the ginger , his eyes glancing at Ron worried. What Ron did was wrong but this is too much even for him.

" Potter ! Stop ! You are hurting him !" Draco's voice rose higher.

Hermione was crying now . Her face streaked with tears , pleading Harry to stop. But all of it went to naught.

Draco had enough . His eyes held anger . They held cold anger. His hand fisted and closed tight.

CRUNCH !

The sound of bone breaking was heard clearly as Harry fell down. His nose was bloody and crooked . Ron simultaneously fell down as well , the effect of spell broken.

" You bastard ! Are you insane ?! I told you to stop !!! " Draco roared furiously.

Harry didn't answer and stayed in the same place. Draco turned his gaze towards Theodore , indicating with his eyes . Getting the signal, he immediately nodded and went to Ron carefully lifting his legs to set his knees straight and cast a spell for quick healing. As soon as the wand tip met his knee , Ron sharply wailed as Blaise and Neville held his limbs tightly to stop the thrashing. His voice carrying clear agony. Hermione sat beside him , trying to soothe some pain as Pansy silently supported her.

Draco lowered to his knees before Harry, his eyes were spitting fire and his mouth set in a sneer. Harry lovingly watched as Draco roughly lifted his face . His hands were rough but his magic brushing over Harry's nose was so gentle. His hand slowly covered his bloodied nose as he closed his eyes. A crunch sounded as Harry's nose snapped back into place and his bleeding stopped as well , the wound completely healed and as good as new.

He opened his eyes to look in the enlarged eyes of Draco Malfoy. A whispered voice asked ," why ?"

" He needed to understand " Harry whispered back.

" But you shouldn't hurt him like that. It was too much. Too inhumane " Draco said sharply as he gently wiped the blood off. His words and actions were so different.

" Ron only understands fist and pain. Words do not work on him "

Like putting water on a burning fire, Draco's anger was instantly gone. " Hmmph. But don't do it again" And paused for a thoughtful second before adding ," unless they absolutely deserved it. Then it's fine"

The answer was self evident from the toothy smile he got .

Touching Harry's nose , he asked guiltily ," Did it hurt when I hit you ? Does it still hurt ?"

A chuckle made its way into Draco's ear ," No . It didn't. Don't worry and you already healed me "

With a sigh of relief , Draco said ," okay then . I'll look if Weasley is alright "

Getting up he made his way towards the horde . Harry watched sitting at the side . Draco carefully healed Ron as all of them silently obeyed him and helped him. This was why he did what he did.

When all quietened down again , Harry slowly said to the boy resting on one of the couches ," Do you know why I did it ? "

Ron refused to meet Harry's gaze . He didn't need such a friend who hurt him . Understanding Ron's refusal , Harry still continued ," When I hurt you tell me who tried his best to stop me even if it meant he could possibly get the same treatment ?"

" Who came to heal you as soon as he could ?"

" Who stopped you from hurting yourself during the healing spell just now ?"

" Who punched me knowing full well that he might be offending a necessary ally which could indirectly cost him his life ?"

" Who came to heal you knowing that you hate his guts and called him a bastard minutes ago ?"

" Tell me , Ron . Who ? "

Disappointment was thick in Harry's eyes. Not just of today but of years. He silently looked to Draco and said ," Thank you , Malfoy . For healing me and my friend "

Draco gently nodded his head , his eyes lingering on the soft smile Harry gave him. Harry was really handsome . His eyes twinkled when he smiled and it was as if they were drawing him in , trapping him there.

Willing himself out of the enchantment, Draco answered Harry ," It's fine. When in chaos , a help to an ally is a help to oneself "

Turning to Ron , Draco could see the guilt and shame swirling his eye and Hermione wasn't much better .

" Now coming to the actual topic. Malfoy and I think that a mutual alliance can be extremely beneficial for us , all of us. The ones agreeing please raise their hand", Harry started .

All five hands were raised in a second . While Ron still remained motionless. Harry saw but chose to remain silent. With a sigh , Draco spoke , albeit softly , "Weasley , Do you agree ? "

Ron raised his head and looked at Draco with ashamed eyes , pitifully saying ," You don't mind ?"

Ron truly looked pitiful , his eyes were lowered and lips set in a downward arc. He looked like he was about to cry any second. Ahh ! He was truly adorable ! Like an overgrown puppy !

Seeing his face , Draco melted like butter and said gently ," It's fine . I apologise for all the past grievances between us . And I really value you . You do have great skills . The literal definition of gryffindor. I will be honoured to have you as an ally "

Ron's eyes shone with gratefulness and admiration. He instantly put his hand up with great vigour and said ," I am sorry as well . And thank you for healing me "

With a chuckle , Draco nodded and Harry continued, "So first , Voldemort is planning an attack on the school . We need your full cooperation . A week from today, Death eaters will enter the school "

" Death eaters ? But how ?" Asked Pansy .

" We don't know yet . All we know is that they will be entering through the room of requirements and going to the astronomy tower " answered Harry, omitting half the truth .

" If we know that then why don't we just block them there . Or better , destroy the room ! " Suggested Hermione.

" Too many complications . If they try a next time , then attack won't be this simple " , Draco said.

" Let the events take their course . All we ask you is to keep an eye out for the younger students. Keep them safe and mostly let the teacher's take the action" Harry continued.

" In case of danger , only fight if there is no option left . Keep in contact with the perfects of all the houses . Somehow convince them to keep changing their dormitory passwords frequently " Draco informed .

" Also , Blaise and pansy will be staying back in the Slytherin common room guarding . Ron and Hermione will be staying in the gryffindor common room as well . Theo and Neville look out for the death eater and make sure that the passage from the room of requirements to the astronomy tower is empty . As well as try to inform the teacher's if possible " Harry commanded .

Soon the discussion was over and finalized , setting the six members on their own ways . They exited the room of requirements , leaving behind Harry and Draco to discuss further .

Walking down the deserted hallway together , the early morning light shone brightly . It was already the start of another week . When parting ways to their respective dormitory , Pansy halted making others stop as well .

" Meet in the astronomy tower after midnight today " She said and everyone nodded in tacit understanding.

" And don't tell both of them . They won't like it " she continued before resuming her strut .

* * *

In the room of requirements , Draco and Harry silently dressed up for the upcoming day . They unknowingly spent the entire weekend in this chaos . Now that Monday was here , reality struck them like a brick on the head . They hastily readied themself.

The time for breakfast was already over , going there was not possible . Thinking about breakfast , Draco felt something in his heart as if a child was pitifuly pulling his clothes and he instinctively knew it was their eggie doing it because he was very hungry . Feeling guilty , he hurriedly took out the big egg . Taking Harry's hand , he gave a hard bite and kept it on the egg and followed by biting his own to keep it on the egg as well.

" Why did you bite yours ?" Harry asked .

" Eggie is very hungry . I can feel it . Only my blood won't fill it's stomach so I bit you as well . He is a growing egg , afterall !"

Harry has a curious gaze towards the egg under his hand and as if understanding him , the egg slightly brushes against him. A smile overtook Harry's face . Let it be . If it was a dragon, a mermaid or an ancient beast , it was still their cute snuggly eggie .

* * *

This day was much more hectic and tiring for Draco and combining the lack of sleep his condition was terrible. Draco looked up from his plate to spot Potter absolutely healthy and bright .

Draco : ……

Draco : ( T_T )

_' Are you even human ?! Fuck ! Why am I like this ? '_

He was so angry that the food lost its taste . Finding no meaning in staying anymore , he got up to leave . Walking out of the great hall and making his way towards the Slytherin dormitories for a good night's sleep.

Draco did not realise but the moment he left another person stood up to leave as well. Harry silently made his way out , stealthily following behind Draco , hiding in the dark and moving with shadows .

Reaching the moving stairs , Draco felt his head ache and his focus blur . His body was swaying dangerously. His body heavily leaning on the barricades on the stairs .

Trying to walk down from them , his steps faltered and he was about to fall when strong hands wrapped around his waist , steading him . The hands were muscled and the shoulders were broad . The chest seemed reliable and the person himself felt like safety .

" Malfoy " uttered a deep and hoarse voice.

Without even turning his face , he knew that it was Potter.

_' Potter . It's Potter . Haaaah . I can sleep now '_

In his thoughts , Draco didn't even realise his eyes closing and falling asleep. Harry held Draco preciously in his arms. His eyes darkening at the display of trust and dependency .

_' Are you always so unguarded or is it just me? '_

Picking up the deeply slumbering Draco, Harry made his way up to the gryffindor dormitories . The space was empty as all students were at the great hall for dinner. Laying Malfoy in his bed , Harry carefully removed his robes and shoes . All the while his eyes never left the lush cherry lips.

_' Why are you so careless ? What if someone took advantage of you ?'_

Harry's eyes trailed down , his gaze caressing every part of Draco's body , lingering on his consumable lips and beautiful collarbone.

_' It would be easy . So easy '_

A veined hand crept towards Draco, sliding through his locks , rubbing his reddening lips and caressing his neck. At every touch the lithe body trembled beautifully. The cheeks blushed and ears reddened. Drops of sweat slid down from his neck before disappearing into the white shirt.

_' More . Just a little more '_

The primal lust in Harry's eyes was enchanting and terrifying at the same time. His eyes looked as if cups of sweet emeral poison. His magic , being more honest than himself, slithered to wrap around the slim and shapely limbs and slipped inside the white fabric of his shirt.

The trembling intensified as the moonlit beauty panted with huffs of warm air leaving past his glistening lips. A second pair of lips came down to stop a hair's breadth away. A distinct gulp was heard as a protruded throat bobbed up and down . Then slowly two pairs of lips barely brushed one another and parted as briefly as they met .

Harry's eyes shined maniacally as the others lips twitched with the gentle brush of his breath . The beast was too maddened to be stopped now. A pair of lips covered another , entirely devouring the sweet nectar they hid behind. Wet noises and soft mewls echoed in the space. Harry's tongue vigorously explored the wet craven of Draco's mouth . His eyes closed as he tasted with all his body the entirety of Draco's existence.

Was this really saliva ? No , it was a sweet wine , delicious and inebriating. And he was addicted with just a taste .

His hands wound around the thin waist , pulling the soft body to himself , draping himself over Draco , covering him entirely.

His magic woved itself in Draco's body and magic as if a dark night woving itself around the moon and it's moonlight.

Desperate wails sounded from the unconscious beauty , begging for air . And the merciful lord , delighted by the honey like song , released the red lips .

The slender neck was an enchantment in its own . A thirsty mouth instantly opened wide , going for the salty elixir dripping down that jade-like neck . Harry licked , kissed and bit the fair skin .

Trailing down , a panting mouth moved across the rising and falling chest as a rough hand slowly slid past the waist belt and on the small tent there . Very lightly resting on top of it and feeling the small twitch .

The lips , dry and parched , soon found a small pink fruit berry hidden under white fabric , the small mountain pressing against the cloth. The lips were so thirsty that they did not even remove the white cover cloth and bruisingly sucked right through it . As down below , a large hand roughly pressed down on the pole making the small tent . Feeling the twitching , the hand pressed harder and lips sucked more. The body under him could not take anymore . Pressed below , it couldn't even arc itself and , instead , trembled so gorgeously . Crystal tears slid down the red cheeks and a sticky wetness accumulated on Harry's hand . Just two rubs were all it took to milk this delish.

Lifting his lips from the pink bud , Harry looked at the white residue in his palm.

_' Malfoy smells sweet and tastes sweet . I wonder ---'_

A tongue eagerly dipped in the palm of Harry's hand and instantaneously drew back.

_' Ahhhhhh…. More '_

The tongue leisurely swept past the entirety of the palm , licking the fingers , joints and the knuckles. Tasting the white fluid as if it was the sweetest honey .

_' Delicious. So sweet. So tasty . I can quell my hunger with this for my entire life . More ….. I need more '_

Emerald eyes drifted to the wet patch on the sleek black pants . Hands reached forward and as soon as a finger grazed the sensitive skin , a begging breathy whisper called ," Noooo. Don't ! Potter ! Stop ! "

The hands stilled and slowly drew back. Harry with obscure eyes and an animalistic growl in his voice said , rough and hoarse , " I let you go this time . Only because you called my name "

Silent magic cleaned Draco as Harry drew the covers over him and was about to slip in as well when Ron came in .

Looking at the sight in front of him ,

Ron : ( 0 ∆ 0 )

" W-what ? H-harry ?" The stutter sounded clear and confused but friendly , all their past pains and grievances forgotten .

" Shhhh. You'll wake him up " Harry whispered.

" Why is Malfoy here ? Shouldn't he be in the Slytherin dormitories ?" Ron lowered his voice as well.

" He fainted in the corridor so I bought him here "

" Should I call Zambini and Parkinson to take him away ?" The newfound admiration and worry for Draco was not superficial but ran deep in Ron's heart.

" No, it is too risky . You don't know , but there is a great risk to his life . If anyone knew that he fainted then they will try their best to kill him . Sending him there is no less than sending a pig for slaughter !"  
Harry's tongue was flexible in woving fairytales and much more flexible in woving pleasure on a certain someone's pale skin.

A gasp echoed through the dorm .  
" I did not know that ! What should we do ?! Should I call Hermione ? She might know what to do ." The worry in his tone was self reflecting.

" Don't worry . Just let his safely sleep here for one night and when he wakes up tomorrow , he can take care of himself . Just it would have been excellent if you told Pansy that we had some business to take care of and will return till early morning "

" That's all fine. But , Mate , I think we should not let him go . What if something like this happens again and someone attacks him ?! "

" Hmmm. I agree but you know Malfoy, he hates to take help and does everything himself ", Harry stated as if it was an universal fact known by all.

" Well, that is true " , The assured voice said .

" Would you mind sharing a room with the others for tonight ?"

" Sure . Call for me if you need anything . I'll tell Zambini as you told me .Good night "

" Good night "

After Ron left , Harry's attention went back to the delectable body on his bed , wrapped in his blankets. Wandlessly , He switched the clothes Draco wore with his shirt and shorts . Neatly folding the uniform dropped on the ground and keeping it on his desk before changing his own clothes .

Switching off the lights , Harry slipped inside the covers and sighed with delight when a warm body stuck to him . Even if the ache in his pants was painful and a torture in itself but with Draco beside him , it's fine . Wrapping his arms around the peacefully slumbering Draco , Harry closed his eyes as well.

_' It's done , Malfoy . You are mine . You can't escape now. I won't let you because I already love you . You made me like this so get ready to take responsibility '_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello reader ,
> 
> The chapter updated are at a faster frequency nowadays . Inspiration just comes in loads . 
> 
> Onto the actual thing , your opinion ? Comedy? Drama ? Smut ? Jealosy ? Plot ?  
> Like all of it , like some , hate some or hate all ? Comment below !
> 
> Suggestions and tips are appreciated as well as in dept reviews. You can write as long and big as you want !!! I live for your words guys !
> 
> \- Dr. Shipper .


	10. The fall of a Headmaster and his student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter :-
> 
> \- The first meet of Neville and Blaise!!!!
> 
> \- you will know for what pansy called all the six of them to astronomy tower without Harry and Draco at midnight.
> 
> \- And ......let's just say a lot of the plot from the original story will proceed with some variations to achieve the wanted timeline and emotions.
> 
> \- not to mention....... SUSPENCE !!!!!

The moon was up and the whole gryffindor dormitory was asleep. Getting out of bed Neville stealthily walked towards the makeshift bed on the floor Ron was asleep on . Shaking his shoulders , he whispered, "Ron , Get up . We have to go. It's already midnight"

Ron's eyes opened to slits as he said groggily, "What?"

" Astronomy tower , remember ?"

The slit eyes slowly started to close again when Neville reluctantly said with a very low whisper , scared of anyone else hearing, " Pansy ! Remember what she said today ?"

As soon as Ron heard Pansy, he was up with wide awake eyes. Getting up and pulling a startled Neville outside. Without looking back he said ," Why are you walking so slow ? Hurry ! What if we are late ?!"

Neville : ….....…

_' Who was it sleeping like a dead man just now? Can you tell ?'_

But these words weren't uttered and kept inside Neville's overly kind and considerate heart, like they always did .

Walking side by side , they soon reached the astronomy tower . Alit by moonlight , the space was empty and without the signs of anyone coming or going. Confused , Ron said, " Where are they ? How come anyone isn't here yet ?"

Looking around for sometime and finding none, Neville softly suggested, " Why don't we look around? "

With that , they started to suspiciously look around, searching every nook and corner . Neville, having searched around the entire upper deck , shifted his sight to the small space covered in darkness below the wooden deck under his feet . When Ron informed, walking out, " I'll check the stairs if someone's there."

With a hesitant gaze he looked around in the darkness , wanting to find any clue visually than personally going down. But not a single thing prevailed there other than darkness . Finding no other option he cautiously slipped down.

Setting himself in the darkness , he moved forward in the blackness. It was then that a swift wind passed by him.

Wind ? This is an enclosed space , there should be no wind .

He tremblingly moved to turn around but froze when he felt a cold breath on his back. His mouth opened to scream. But before he could , his body was forcibly pushed down and a spell hit him. He very clearly felt the sting on his nape as his limbs spread apart like a stick figure and bound in place. It was a body-binding spell.

His body shook in the fear of unknown danger as he felt the now unconcealed steps of someone walking around him to stand close to his face. He wanted to close his eyes but even they were completely frozen. He could only watch as a pair of hazel-green eyes glowed, slowly coming closer to him.

The terror was too great and overwhelming for a soft marshmallow like Neville as his wide eyes rolled back and he promptly fainted with fright.

Some time went by and when Neville opened his eyes again, the first thing he felt was the soft cloth his head was buried in and the firm softness under his head.

Groggily sitting up, he innocently rubbed his eyes and yawned as a soothing voice said in the background , " Still sleepy? Why don't you sleep more ? I will wake you up" before gently drawing him back down again.

With the reassurance , Neville again buried his head against the soft cloth and began to drift away. As he was about to fall asleep again, the same voice whispered again with a giggle, " Were you tired all day?"

Neville felt responsible to answer this question , afterall the person was so nice to him . Thus, said incoherently , " Mmmm, very tired, want ….to…sleeeep~~ "

A suppressed laugh sounded above him and Neville thought that it was similar to someone he knew.

His brows scrunched as he thought . Who? Who? It was on the tip of his tongue when the image of bronze skin and evil mischievous eyes flashed in his head.

Neville opened his eyes with a gasp . The eyes. The same eyes were looking down at him. The same evil eyes.

" AHHH !!! " , a shout echoes in the empty space.

Neville crawled back as a frowning Blaise pressed his ears and angrily shouted, "Hey!! Plum face ! Can't you speak lower ? My ears are sensitive, ya know ?"

No ! Neville didn't know ! What was his worst nightmare personified doing here ?!

His hands frantically reached for his pockets for his wand but returned empty. His eyes wildly looked around and finally landed on the seductive smirk sporting an equally seductive face of an ever seductive person. And coincidentally the same person had his wand .

" Give it back !"

" What ? What are you talking about ?" , Blaise said as his face controted into childlike innocence.

" My wand ! Give it back !" Neville said , pointing towards the wand in his hand.

" Oh this ? I just found it fallen on the floor. Finders owners . Isn't it ? " He said, raising it up in clear view while smiling like a pure unsullied angel.

" But it's mine !" , The defiance and sulk in Neville's voice was heard loudly.

" And I don't know that . You could be lying" the wand in Blaise's hand twirled around his fingers as he leisurely walked closer.

" How could you ?! I am not lying ! You are the one who's lying ! You - " When he registered his words the lips halted and horror on Neville's soft squishy face was clear. The numerous pranks and taunts reminded him that he was standing before his bully.

" Oh ?! Go on ! Why did you stop ?" The amused but sinister gleam in Blaise's eyes as he came nearer was immediately seen. Neville took scared steps back.

" I-I … just give it back ! " Stopping for a second before uttering, " Please "

Neville didn't know what happened but he saw Blaise's eyes soften. The eyes scanned his face slowly before the wand was in his palm again.

Blaise looked at the soft face. The eyes looking at him were terrified and flew wide. Something in them had Blaise softening, relaxing. It had him backing down.

The stiff silence between them was broken when the sound of numerous footsteps was heard , gradually nearing.

Stepping up , Pansy, Hermione, Theo and Ron revealed. Soon all of them were sitting down on the floor. Pansy spoke first, " Do we all absolutely agree on the coalition?"

All the heads firmly nodded. No hesitance was seen. Neville, even if he was scared of Blaise and Pansy, still wanted to do this. He will not just sit down and watch them. He wasn't so cowardly.

" Good. Now, I'll be direct. Make a magically binding contract . Right here. Right now "

" WHAT ?!" Sputtered Ron. Shock and confusion clear on his face.

" Don't worry, it won't be anything outrageous. I just need direct unbreakable insurance. What if you betray Draco? I wish to take no chances. This is a matter for life and death for not only me but also Draco, Blaise and Theo. One small mistake can kill us all"

The look on pansy was similar to someone who had faced too much pain and grief. It looked oddly pitiful on her tender and young face.

Everyone was silent . Their gazes trained on Pansy's face. Blaise was the first to say, " Okay " . His tone nonchalant as if saying yes to a drinking party and not a binding contract.

" How can you agree so easily ?" Neville asked in wonder.

Looking sideways, Blaise spoke word by word, "Draco is risking his life for us in every way possible. Even right now, he is in constant danger of being killed by death eaters if anyone found what he did. The least I can do is swear my lifelong loyalty to him "

Theo followed as well," I agree. And you all should as well. After all, the same goes with Potter, doesn't it ?" His intelligent and sharp eyes conveyed a snake's stealth and fox's crafty thoughts.

The solemnity on the faces grew. Gradually more voices rose. First Theo, Ron then Hermione and , surprisingly, Neville who was very firm in his decision.

Six wands slowly raised up, their tips touching one another. As pansy spoke with clear and sonorous pronounciation , " Do you , the ones present here, make an undying oath on your magic to be loyal and never betray our guides and benefactors, Harry James Potter and Draco Lucius Malfoy, as well as each other for today, tomorrow and forever henceforth? "

Several "I do" rang out as the tips alight one by one. When all the six wand tips were glowing, Pansy concluded, " With all of our agreements , I make this magically binding contract valid . If any were to break it, the price will be what you swore on "

A bright light shone and tendrils of magic wrapped around the six wrists holding the six wands up.

All of them looked as plain bands were inked on each of their wrists. It was the proof that the contract was successful and valid. The bands gleamed mellowly before disappearing as if they were never there.

It was done. Suddenly all of them felt a very familiar and intimate feeling in their hearts. It felt like meeting a long lost friend or one's family after a long time. The familiarity between them not only amazed them but also assured them. Maybe it was because of the contract . Or maybe it was because of the surety that they can unhesitatingly trust eachother. A leisure and happy aura filled their small bubble as conversations and apologies were made.

* * *

Harry woke up before the first ray of the sun. The sensation of a warm body in his arms made a happy smile light his face. Draco's eyes were tightly closed. The curly blond tresses formed tiny shadows beneath his eyes. The breaths were slow and deep.

The slender arms were around him, hugging him like a koala clung to its tree.Harry's warm eyes soon darkened and became hot. His boiling blood from last night still didn't completely cool down. It didn't take much to set it bubbling again. In fact, the sight of Draco's face and memories from yesterday were enough.

Draco's knee lightly brushed on a certain hard wood and Harry drew a sharp breath in. The wood grew even taller , such a top quality and rapidly growing wood it was ! Surely, the durability will be unrealistically long and the sap would be sticky and nourishing ! Draco would definitely enjoy it to tears while panting and moaning in delight !

[T/N :- Did you understand what i said in the above para ? How many double-meanings/inneudos can you find?]

Green eyes darkened further . Harry barely stopped himself for the sake of not scaring the prey away and picked himself up and about. Soon, Draco had his previous clothes on. No evidence should be left on the site of crime so that even the victim won't know that a crime happened , so that especially the victim didn't know that the crime happened.

Ahhh ! Such a clever criminal he was ! Now , he knew why the hat wanted to put him in Slytherin.

So when Draco woke up , he found himself in a red and gold room with Potter sitting in the chair across, staring at his face.

" Potter ?" Came a sleepy and hoarse whisper.

" Awake ? " Harry said, making his way towards the bed to gently sit Draco up.

" Come on. It's already morning, we have classes " he said while handing Draco a glass of water.

Drinking several sips, Draco was finally awake.

"What am I doing here ?"

" You fainted so I brought you here"

_' Bloody Potter and his Mr. Righteous Hero halo ! Hmph ! I swear his overflowing kindness is going to come back to bite him in the arse one day. But still, he helped me. At least I should thank him.'_

"Oh…. Thank you then."

Draco didn't even know what he was thanking Harry for. That pervert stalked him to molest him and dared to claim innocence ! And Let's not forget that he almost had a horror encounter with Golden boy Jr. aka literally a fully loaded, heavy metal machine gun ready to fire !

eethu* ! May mother magic punish this liar with a hundred lightning bolts ! Such shamelessness will make his ancestors sit up in their graves !!!

[ eethu* - the noise made when spitting ]

The ignorant victim did not know that what made him feel so sticky wasn't even his own sweat but someone's saliva.

It was then that he remembered that he hadn't seen Luar since the ritual. Wanting to speak, he rubbed his neck brooch but instead of Luar's voice, a small note came out.

After reading it, a confused expression settled on Draco's face as he wondered. Where did Liar go? What did he mean by latching on to the powerhouse beside him?

From behind him, Harry was curiously reading as a look of realisation flashed in his face. Seeing the recognition, Draco asked, " You're aware about papa, aren't you?"

An inquiring eyebrow rose and Draco continued, " Luar Malfoy, the soul you saw in the cave when you saved me ?"

" Ah. I had a brief meet with Master Luar that day in the cave. Actually, when I saved you, it was with the help of my master. If I were to be honest, Master Luar seemed to be uncomfortable around master. He seemed to be wary but still expectant. And soon after your condition stabilized, he left saying that he will be back and Master stealthily followed him. I felt that they must have a shared past but I am not completely sure"

Some time went by while Draco lingered in his head, thinking, before saying again.

" Oh… when did you get a master ?" Draco asked, surprised and bewildered.

Now that he mentioned it, Draco does remember a third presence other than Harry and Luar that time in the cave. He was partially conscious that time. The presence also was the one who saved him at the last bend of the ritual.

' Alas, I owe all of them too much. I don't even know if I will ever be able to even repay it all ' Draco thought while looking at Harry.

_' But what can I do ? Let's just leave it to fate '_

" How did you meet your ancient ancestor?" Harry answered his question with another question.

Draco speculated if he should tell Harry or not. Then thought , Fuck it ! He already made a mutual blood pact with Harry. He can't do anything to harm Draco.

So he said, " I will tell you if you answer me as well " After all, mutual and symbiotic gain was their policy.

" Very well "

" The night of the red moon two months back was when I snuck in the restricted library. I, initially, had no intention other than finding a cure for the dark mark there. But somehow activated an centuries old array there and bumped to papa. It was my good graces that he was a Malfoy and a healer otherwise traveling through the array would have possibly killed me. After that I somehow convinced him to leave with me "

The focused concentration on Harry's face melted into astonishment.

" Interesting. It was the same night that I met Eloise. I was out that night as well, particularly in the room of requirements. Master was the one who appeared before me. That night I accepted his mentorship and bond as a student "

" Something almost seems suspicious, doesn't it ?" Draco asked registering the information income.

The coincidence was far too great and seemed more likely to be someone's doing.

" The night of the red moon…." Draco whispered to himself the look of intense inner probing and wondering clear on his face.

" Let's leave this for the future. We have more urgent matters to handle" Harry said with soft gentle words to effectively break his concentration. He did not want Draco to over exert himself again. And Harry was going to make sure of that himself.

" Hmmm…. You are right " Draco said. The agreement in his voice was conveyed through. A clear innocent look in his eyes as if the first snow of year. Unsullied, untainted.

Harry sighed. How is he going to survive not touching him? His existence is like an aphrodisiac made especially for Harry.

The silence made thoughts about the assassination swirled in Draco's head as his eyes lowered with despair and unwillingness. With a hesitant voice, Draco softly questioned, " What about the future?"

" What about it ?" Came back a confused answer.

" What should we do about the assassination ?"

" Don't worry about it. You won't have to do anything. Just be as you always are and act as you always do "

" We shouldn't kill the Headmaster. If he dies then the moral of everyone will be affected. So...so… you should tell him ! "

Harry finally understood what Draco meant. He didn't want to carry out the assassination but he also didn't want to look weak so he went around in circles around the topic.

A hand slowly crept towards Draco, resting on his face. A pair of glassy silver-blue eyes looked up, confused and frowning.

" Don't worry. I am here "

These words seemed comical and superficial and only for saying and not actual action. But when Harry said them, he meant to follow them through.

Draco gazed in the emerald eyes. Harry was so close. The temperature from his hand was so hot , as if boiling lava. And drowned and burned entirely.

* * *

The following days went by slowly. Everyone acted as usual. The day came nearer and the fear in Draco's heart increased as well.

When it was finally the day, Draco woke up with a grim appearance. Every thought in his head was about the impending task. The morning passed and he did not see Harry at all as he finally felt his own nativity at trusting him at such a level . All of his snakes were hyper aware and alert, doing their ordered job flawlessly. The palpitations in his heart were fluttering as every second passed.

Now, standing before the cabinet, Draco felt calm. He realised that no matter how anxious he was, this was inevitable.

With a steady hand he opened the door. A shriek laughter rang out as Bellatrix came out. The joy on her face was maniacally merry.

As soon as Draco caught the sight of her, he turned around with a swish and made his way towards the tower. He still had a task to complete.

Entering the astronomy tower, Draco saw the sight of an old hunching man with their back facing him. Probably hearing his footsteps, the old figure turned around and revealed a bespectacled saintly face.

Dumbledore gazed at him with kind eyes before saying, " Good evening, Draco. What brings you here on this fine evening?" His voice was still calm, still steady even if it seemed a little frail.

With his ready wand pointing at the elder, Draco asked with suspicion, " Who else is here ? I have heard you talking. "

His voice quivering, partly due fear for the future and partly due to guilt. But he didn't stop because he knew that there were demons just behind him, lurking in his shadow.

" Oh. I have been talking aloud to myself. I find it … exceptionally useful "; The voice answering was airy and unbothered by the intensity of the situation.

A silence sang before the wise grunt of an old king rang out. " Draco , You are no assassin "

His tone and eyes firm as if stating an irrefutable fact. Draco was enraged and irritated by his words. How can this man be so trusting ? How does he try to see the good in people even while staring at his own death ? Does he not fear the future ? Does he not dread pain ?

The surety in these words made an instant answer flow from Draco, " How do you know ?! I have done things that would shock you ! "

The sneer on his face and tension radiated by his whole body made it difficult to tell if it was fear, anger, unwillingness or guilt flooding his heart.

" Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping she delivered the cursed necklace to me or like producing a bottle of mead as one laced with poison . Forgive me Draco but I cannot help but feel that these actions are so weak that you can't actually wish for it " His demeanor was still calm as Dumbledore said it.

" You.. you don't understand ! I…I told him !! I told him !! But ...he...I don't know….." Draco seemed agonised, tortured with the sneer and frown marring his pale face. The reluctance was clear in his pained eyes. He was unwilling but had no other option. The chains of fate were binding him. Now his only hope was the green-eyed allied acquaintance yet unknown stranger. But Draco was rapidly losing much faith in this rescue.

The elderly resigned entirely said, " Then I shall make it easy for you -"

But before he could do anything, the quick flick of wand and sound of spelling sounded, " Expelliarmus!! "

Dumbledore's raised wand flew out of his hand to collide with the nearby wall, making a crisp sound.

" Very good . Very good"

Series of footsteps rang in the distance to indicate the incoming company.

" You are not alone . There are others" Dumbledore said with a very slight hint of surprise. His words were fast and precise in an attempt to extract as much information as possible before the death eaters arrive .

" How ?" He asked , wanting to know what can breach the secure and unbreakable wall he has built around Hogwarts.

" The vanishing cabinet in the room of requirements. I've been mending it" Draco uttered with huffed breaths in an attempt to cool his racing heart.

" Let me guess . It has a sister , a twin , doesn't it ?"

" Borgin and Burkes . I formed a passage "

" You're a genius. Draco, once I knew a boy....who made all the wrong choices. Please , let me help you -"

" I don't need your help! Don't you understand ! I told him ! I told him already ! I tried !! But he isn't even here ! He did nothing !!! So...so I have to do this ! I have to kill you"

The words spilled from Draco's suffocating chest before a choking , silent whisper was heard ," Or he is gonna kill me "

The continuous footsteps were drawing closer and closer and soon the black and grey dress adorning a woman with jet black curls was seen . The lady was a sight of wonder , of dread, of grief . The maddened gleam in her eyes made her look dead even if she was alive. In the dim light of dark clouds, she seemed like the beloved mistress of death and pain herself.

The blood red lips moved to leisurely utter," Ahh. Look what we have here " The sound of her voice made chills pass through one's spine. It was apparent that the sight of Headmaster Dumbledore weak and at the door of death pleased her sick heart immensely.

The small heeled boots tapped and the deadly enchantress stepped closer to Draco, whispering in his ear like a snake's hiss, " Well done, Draco " The bloodied lips moved to disgustingly place themselves in the abnormally pale cheeks.

All the while, her eyes were trained on the Headmaster who uttered with mock cheer, " Good evening , Bellatrix. I think introductions are in order don't you ? "

Walking around in the space, she replied," love to, Albus. But I fear , we are in a bit of tight schedule "

Her poisonous glare turned to Draco as she said with a similarly poisonous tongue," Do it ! "

" He doesn't have the stomach, just like his father. I'll finish it my own way " ; came another gruff animalistic sound as the speaker consequently stepped forward . It's attributes of being rugged and savage were evident at the first hear and the first look of the owner.

" No! The dark lord was clear that the boy is to do it " ; Bellatrix exclaimed ,halting Greywolf . At the same time , the dark figure of a youth silently watching the scene moved. His emerald eyes shone with anger and revenge, promising the gift of pain he was to deliver onto the minions of that damned lord. He moved towards the pale young man, raising his wand and planning to strike, when the movement at the corner of his eyes stopped him.

A tall slim man stepped in the dark, his eyes directly staring into the haunting emerald ones. The grim face slowly slowly shook from side to side , indicating to stop.

Harry kept the eye-contact while slowly lowering his wand. His eyes were indifferent on the surface but were hiding a sharp edge in themselves at the unwanted hindering . Not wanting to alert the ones above , he kept silent and waited for an opportunity. Just because he stopped for the time being doesn't mean he won't do it.

The eye-contact was shortly cut off by the voices above drawing their attention. " This is your moment, Draco . Do it " Bellatrix encouraged as if a demon luring it's wished sacrifice closer.

" Go on ,Draco . Do it . NOW !" The lure now turned into a threat and the pale shivering hand of a helpless boy tightened around his wand.

But before the quivering lips could utter anything, a fourth voice sounded.

" No " Snape said as he calmly stepped inside the room. All the faces in the room moved to him. Some of them were relieved, so surprised and some calmly waiting for his next action.

Dumbledore, in a pleading voice , said, "Severus ..........…..Please "

As soon as the words uttered, a loud " Avada Kedavra" echoed in the voice of Severus Snape as twin tails on green light shone from two different wands flowing towards the same man.

An electric shriek rang out as ,instead of one, two bodies were thrown off the tower. And a hurried , "Draco !!!" was shouted by the female voice.

Below the scene, Harry sighed with relief as he lowered his wand. The wand tip was still heated and glowing orange like melting iron. Even if the relief was clear in his eyes, the vengeance was as well. The eyes as sharp as a two-sided sword gazed at the quickly retreating figures as one of them cast the grey clouds to shape into a skull and the slim tall man with wide eyes and a confused face. The confusion and guilt was seen on his wan face . Maybe for the requested killing of his mentor. Or maybe for the death of a tragic and helpless innocent, a student, a child. A young man whose only fault was that he was born to his own mother and father.

Underneath the tower two bodies thumped down, the flesh disfiguring and blood slowly colouring the ground as people gathered around. The figure of Theo,who was originally guarding the hallways , ran out towards the smaller body. His eyes shining disbelief and confusion before turning to mourn . A strangled cry rang out from him as if from a cub who lost one of his own pack.

Harry who was standing on the top of the astronomy tower looked down the last time to make sure that what he wanted was actually done.

_Goodbye Headmaster . Goodbye Draco. Till the next time I see you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers,
> 
> My first cliff hanger !! How did you think I portrayed the intense scene? Did it feel overwhelming emotion ?
> 
> How was the Neville/Blaise ? I plan to make Neville a small fluffy cotton candy who is just absolute cuteness to everybody. 
> 
> And did you guys catch the para above the T/N note ? How many inneudos did you guys find ???? 
> 
> -Miss Extraordinaire


	11. The plan to wait for the right time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter - 
> 
> \- did Draco actually die ??? We will find out .
> 
> \- what about Dumbledore ? We will find out as well .
> 
> \- the next plans regarding the horcruxes .
> 
> \- Draco's gentle control and Harry's hard control dynamics . So , basically Draco is the softer , gentler leader whereas Harry's the harder and tougher leader. They balance each other out. Like a king and queen , you can say.

Below the school, two people dropped in an abandoned chamber with a thud. Opening their eyes the first sight they saw was the enormous corpse of a huge snake. The body was laying there, rotting and smelly, possibly dead for years. 

It was the chamber of secrets, Draco realised with a jolt.

The shock was evident in Draco's eyes as he looked around. He didn't know this place nor did he have even the slightest tinkling of where it might be. It was the snake corpse which gave him the actual clue.

Looking around, he noticed the unmoving body of The Headmaster. Fearing for the elder's life, he got up and moved towards it.

The headmaster was still unconscious but the breath was weak. His condition was getting worse by the uneven beat of his pulse. With this, he also noticed the blackened corner of his lips and unnaturally greying skin.

Such effects are rarely caused due to spells and curses and are mostly due to poisons and potions as well as diseases. 

How did he get those? Who poisoned him? Draco urgently needed to examine what kind of poison it was to make an antidote .

Draco slowly opened the headmaster's mouth to look at what he consumed to affect his health. Dipping the tip of his index finger inside, he collected the residue of a black-tinted transparent liquid.

He skeptically judged the liquid and tried to remember from his memory a similar potion. 

The liquid, Draco noticed, had a peculiar smell, like burning and rotting flesh. Shockingly, he realised that it smelled the same as the draught of living death ! It was just that it seems to have stronger and more harmful effects than the draught of living death.

Without delay, Draco got the dried herbs and animal ingredients he had out of his ring. Gathering the ingredients together, Draco willed his magic to lift up the materials in air and finely crush them together. The plant and animal parts slowly mushed together forming a dough. Satisfied with the mixture, Draco then willed his magic to identify the useless particles and impurities in the mixture to seperate them. With a flick of Draco's wand, some red and black substances gradually started evaporating and coming out before dispersing in the air. These were the impurities. Now that the small mixture was clean and clear of side-effects, it was ready for consumption.

The round dough that now remained as small as a candy. Lifting it to the headmaster's mouth, he stuffed it inside before forcefully closing the jaw to make the headmaster swallow.

Sometime passed as Draco waited patiently for the pill to take effect. After some moments, The headmaster started coughing violently as a black slurry oozed from his nostrils. This was the poison that infected the headmaster that was forced out because of the healing effects of Draco's pill.

The coughs didn't stop for a while. Draco repeatedly patted the headmaster's with a hand as he was supporting him with the other. When the coughs receded, the headmaster fell unconscious again.

Draco huffed a long breath of relief. The headmaster's condition was stabilized for now but the hope that it would stay so for a while was dim. His hand was still in an infected condition. If it was not remedied soon then it can endanger his life. 

For the time being, Draco sat down and surveyed his surroundings. How did he get here? He remembered clearly that he was pushed down the tower together with the headmaster. He had not even realised what had happened when he was suddenly flung forwards and was rapidly falling down. Just before they were about to hit the ground, they somehow aparated here. Did the headmaster do it ? Or was it someone else helping them ? 

Was it….him?

It must be. Otherwise, who else knew about this other than him ? Even the headmaster himself didn't know. An intense jolt of happiness ran down Draco's body. A small smile lighted his face as his silver-blue eyes shone gratefulness and relief.

_'He did not abandon me. He kept his word. I was right to trust him.'_

Even if he hoped for it , he still wasn't sure if that was the case. He needed a last conformation before he could let go of this dread in his heart.

People will always think that an oasis in the middle of a desert is an illusion of the eyes and not reality. Only when they taste the sweet water will they believe that it's real. And in this condition, Draco was no different than a parched man lost in never-ending sand. To him Harry was like an oasis. When it came to him , reality, illusion and dreams became hard to distinguish. 

In his thoughts some time passed. Draco did not move or walk around . He stayed in the same place and made minimum moments. This place was unknown to him. Who knows what it might hold. If the giant snake corpse at some distance from him was any indication then it was the best choice to stay still and not accidentally provoke danger.

Draco did not know if it was still day or if the night had already fallen. A long time had passed when the silhouette of a man appeared far ahead . Draco was cautious yet anticipating. He desperately wanted the final confirmation that it was Potter who saved them. 

The ever familiar voice called out to Draco, "Malfoy ?"

Draco's tense shoulders finally sagged as he stood up and ran . Roughly colliding with the taller figure, he threw both of them falling back. Domineeringly sitting on the stomach of the infuriating liar, Draco's eyes shone hard and cold. 

THWACK ! -- A strong punch landed on Harry's handsome face. 

The sight of Harry's face had Draco utterly broken. It was as if a cool touch of ice was spreading through his veins , mixing with the tense muscles in his body. But then why did it feel like he had a piece of burning coal stuck in his chest ? It was burning , blazing , flaming right there at the center of his chest. It hurt …. It hurt but it felt good as well. It was so confusing, so utterly unlike Draco . It overwhelmed him like a dark cloud filled with grief , with dread , with despair that he had felt standing at the brink of murdering someone. 

Hard punches were raining down on Harry as he caught the pale wrists in a tight grip. Still, the person atop him didn't stop and continued thrashing around, desperately trying to get free.

The emotions Draco had kept choked, the unsaid fear he had for this day , had finally escaped the empty vase Draco had made out of himself . It escaped erratically, frantically, in the form of rage, in the form of tears, in the form of biting words. They all fell like heavy drops of rain from a black cloud , travelling with the storm and laughing with the thunder. 

Amidst the flailing arms, Harry caught the sight of hot tears falling down burning angry eyes like the flashs of thunder. Silent tears fell down Draco's blazing and glassy red eyes as a sneer was forming on his lips. 

A broken hiss escaped Draco's throat, furious and unforgiving , " I hate you ! I fucking hate you ! I swear, Potter, I am going to skin you and feed you to dogs ! I hate you! Get lost ! You mutt ! You-you ….!"

It was then that Harry realized what this was and he wordlessly wrapped his arms around the struggling boy . And said with a calm tone , " shhh.... I know..I know "

Draco's hand did not stop, did not rest. Two tight fists were still hitting Harry's back. A tired sound spilled from Draco's mouth, " Let me go ! I am going to beat you into a pulp ! Ugh ! Let me go !!"

Harry did not relent and kept his gentle but unmoving hold . He didn't say anything anymore, trusting to let the storm pass rather than trying to stop it. After some time the flailing weakened and ceased to exist. 

Harry and Draco still sat in the same position, in each other's embrace. Draco's arms numbly hanging at his side. His anger in his eyes now finally fading to unwilling fatigue.

Harry's deep voice uttered softly, " I am sorry "

As Draco heard this, the last of his anger dissolved and he tightly gripped the robes on Harry. 

Harry slowly drew back but kept his hands unmoving on Draco's waist . When he saw the glassy tears in Draco's eyes, an erratic jolt ran through his body. With the apology on the tip of his tongue, Harry also felt a sense of intense possessiveness.

_' So beautiful. He looks so beautiful like this '_

In Harry's eyes, Draco looked like a blooming flower in the midst of cold morning fog. The tears on his cheeks were as if the nectared dew drops on pink petals. 

Harry didn't even realise when his eyes took on the gloomy green of a deep sea. The obsession in his eyes was scary but well hidden behind the clarity. His eyes only held Draco, they only reflected Harry's love , his infatuation and his lust for his beloved.

_' These tears....they are mine. They will only flow for me. In pain or in pleasure, only mine. Anyone else isn't even worth of their sight_

And so was the fact. Draco did only ever cry in front of his Harry. The presence of Harry somehow made his mind and body subconsciously let out their weakness, their pettiness , their immaturity. 

With this extremely pleasant thought, the sharp edge in Harry's eyes disappeared like a cloud in clear blue sky. 

Draco didn't even notice the deadly gleam in those eyes. At that moment , Harry's eyes looked similar to a snake eyeing its prey. Just like a snake lying in ambush , poison ready in it's fangs as it waited for an opportunity to attack. Waiting for a chance to capture in first strike and swallow the delicacy alive and whole as it withered and shivered.

Draco rubbed his eyes furiously wishing to destroy all the traces of the weakness he exhibited moments ago. 

Harry looked at the cheeks reddened ripe , before because of the tears and now further because of the rubbing. Right now Harry felt like he was literally drowned in a huge pot of sweetness. Seeing Draco like this , so close, felt like lying on a bed of nails and rolling around in white clouds at the same time. It felt like drinking liquid crucio flavoured with honey.

Looking up Draco softly asked out of curiosity, " How did you do it ?"

With a smile, Harry took the question as accepting his apology and replied, " I made the killing curse hit an invisible creature instead of Dumbledore and simultaneously pushed both of you down "

" But then how did we get here ? "

" Indirect apartion "

" Indirect apartion ? How-? You can't possibly be joking right ?"

Draco's eyes were wide in disbelief. Indirect apartion , as the name suggested, was a form of spell-less and wordless magic which aparated someone without direct contact but with sheer magical force. It was something that even powerful wizards like Dumbledore found hard to achieve. The only one Draco knew who could successfully do it was the dark lord. 

_'Exactly how powerful is Potter to do that?'_

Harry , in response to Draco's disbelief, shrugged nonchalantly. By his behaviour, it was evident that it didn't hold any importance in his eyes. Draco decided to just behave like he never knew. Afterall who would like to admit that someone else was stronger than themselves ?

" What about everyone else ? Won't they find it suspicious if there were no bodies ?" 

" Well… who said there were no bodies ?" Harry said , his eyes flashing mischievously because he knew Draco would understand his implications.

" Then there were bodies ? But- how ? Wait don't tell me-"

No . It can't be that right ? For the golden boy to use a dark spell …. It definitely can't be true . But still…

" You used the cloning spell ??" He whispered , scandalized.

The cloning spell was an illegal dark spell used to grow a true lifeless body of a person. The body formed will be of true flesh and blood , retaining the human physiology to absolute perfection but without life. It was made illegal as to perform this spell the human body parts such as fingernails, blood or hair was needed from the person to be replicated. 

A single eyebrow raised as a smirk took on Harry's face. Draco's mouth fell open.

_' Truly -- how -? Ahhh... seriously. Everytime I think that I have caught up to him, he jumps even higher . Just how weak am I ? Or more like - how strong is he?'_

At this second, Draco's three world views were collapsing.

Did the sun rise from the west ? Or was it the east ? Is Blue of Sea it's own color or was it a reflection of the sky above ? Draco's head was in a tangle . It was so tangled that it could be called a messy ball of wool rather than a brain.

_' So what if he is stronger now ?!?! Soon I will be as strong as -- no , even stronger than him !!! HUMPH !!! If he had fortune on his side then I ,Draco Malfoy, have myself !! Isn't that a blessing enough ?! And I bet ,with this brain of mine , it won't take long to trample that egoistic face of his !!! Get ready to taste dirt , Potter , Because I am coming for you !!!! '  
_

Again, Draco , ultimately choosing to retain his sanity , acted like he did not hear , much to Harry's utter amusement.

Having had his fun , Harry softly reminded, "We have to leave . We can't stay here anymore "

With start ,Draco , now with dry and clear eyes, asked as well, "Is everyone alright ? Are all my snakes alright ?" 

His voice was filled with worry. Death eaters were no wizards , they were demons . They won't see if it's a Slytherin or a Gryffindor , if it's a child or an adult. If they want to kill then they will kill. 

" All of them are fine . Other than property destruction, few people were actually injured "

A deep breath blew Draco's worry out , "That's a relief "

Remembering what he was here for, Harry questioned, " Dumbledore ?" 

Getting up, Draco led Harry towards the unconscious body . Saying as they neared it , " He had already fainted when we fell. I checked and found that it was because of a poison , an advanced draught of living death . "

" Hmm…. How is his health now ?"

" I have already given him an antidote but it's effects are temporary because of the condition of his hand . Unfortunately, The complete antidote needs herbs which I did not have"

" How much time do we have till the effects wear off ?"

" At the most 2 months "

" What about the herbs ? Where can we get them ?"

" That's the real difficulty. Most of them are found in the magical grassland of England and are widely sold but one particular herb is found in the snow forests of Scottish Taiga. It's very hard to find and not sold due to the dangerous nature of the forest. "

" Can you identify it ?"

A nod answered Harry's question . 

" Well..…. Looks like we need to hurry even more " , Harry said , gears already wheeling in his head.

Soon, Draco and Harry were standing in an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere. This mansion was originally a part of the Potter Cynn*. But was later forgotten due to its isolated location. Fortunately, this is the place they urgently needed in this situation.

[ Cynn* - Family, Clan, Household,etc ]

Headmaster was situated in the guest room as soon as they came here. A group of house elves were stationed here as well, tasked with looking after the house and the headmaster.

Harry stood aside as Draco carefully instructed the house elves about how to care for the headmaster and what medicines to give him. As he finished, Draco made his way towards Harry.

" Finished ?" Harry asked , turning towards him.

" Hmm " came the curt and sharp reply .

Extending his hand towards Draco , Harry indicates him to get a steady hold . As soon as Draco intertwined his pale fingers with another's darker and larger ones , a shock ransacked his body . Before he even realised what was happening , he was already standing on the familiar place, the astronomy tower.

It was already midnight and the silver moonlight was flooding this place. A dark figure came out as soon as Harry and Draco . Theo revealed himself first as after him Hermoine and others came out of their hiding as well. 

The atmosphere was solemn . Everyone was glad and worried in their own head . Draco scanned all the six faces. These faces were young , they were still children. But then again, so was he . 

Breaking the silence, Draco said , " I am glad that all of you have your arms and legs and are not overly furry ."

Draco's words bought a much needed relaxation as everyone calmed down from their tensed and overly vigilant state they were in. Small and grateful smiles were sent his way as Draco reassuringly smiled back, answering their unsaid query that he was well and alright.

After letting Draco reassure and calm their nerves , Harry said , " The time is short. Tell us what happened "

Hermione was first to speak, " Everything happened as planned . Now, a atmosphere of fear and terror is in the school as well as everyone positively believes that Draco and Headmaster are dead " 

Pansy added , " after you disappeared, the headmaster's funeral was held and Draco's body was taken by the death eaters . They, as I saw, did not seem to doubt anything "

With a complicated expression, Harry said, "Good , good . The students must have already started departing for home , haven't they ?"

" Yes , some parents have already collected their children . As for the others, they are leaving as soon as possible" Ron said.

Harry and Draco shared a silent tacit look as Draco said , " We need to find the horcruxes as soon as possible and that is what we will be doing . "

A look of agreement flashed in six pairs of eyes as they silently looked for the orders with determined eyes.

Draco continued ," First we need a pair of you to stay in the school as our intelligence. As for the others will the ones finding the horcruxes "

Harry followed immediately saying, " Blaise and Neville will be the ones staying behind " 

As he said this, the ones who will be out going on a journey are obvious. Draco, sensing the troubled emotions on their faces , said , " If you have any doubt , any fear , then leave now . Do not step ahead if you're not ready to sacrifice a limb or an eye " His eyes were absolutely serious and solemn.

Silence prevailed and no one said anything . There was no agreement or disagreement.

When Hermione , with a pleading voice, said , " Before that , Can I visit my parents for the last time ?"

Everyone understood her peril . She ,as a muggle, was in as much danger as Harry himself. She deserved some moments of calm and happiness before the storm , all of them did. 

Draco didn't say anything but the look in his eyes gave Hermione and everyone else the feeling of being soothed and enveloped in a warm blanket . This was the feeling of being Draco Malfoy's person, they understood . This was the feeling of being under the wings of the famed notorious and heartless Slytherin price, so absurdly warm. 

At the same time , Harry said with a steady strong command , " Well, we will meet after exactly one month . The contact will be maintained through letters , so keep your eyes and ears open at all times. And remember, we are all in this together and every one of you needs every other . So cherish each other , from here on you are no different than a single body , a single life."

Every young face in the enclosed space held a determination , a hope . They were all aware that this might not turn out as they wished but what did they have to lose? Let it be the orphaned Harry, or the abused Draco , the muggle Hermione or pansy who was disdained by her own family , in one way or another , all of them were alone . The only people they had that remained truly faithful were the ones with them right. 

What did they have to lose ? They only have each other left . If they are going to die, then let's do it together. If they are going to live, then let's do it together as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello reader ,
> 
> So this chapter was relatively short. It took much longer as well because the framing and wording of this chapter was a absolute headache . The emotions and situation were a mess and hard to convey .
> 
> Hope you like it ! **And don't forget to have a nice day !!!**
> 
> \- miss extraordinaire


	12. Great Minds think alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, 
> 
> \- Dursley move out .
> 
> \- Harry's thoughts towards the order of Pheonix.
> 
> \- we will see Harry's softer side .
> 
> \- tooth-rotting fluff !!!!!
> 
> \- and scheming Harry .
> 
> \- the understanding between Draco and Harry.

A month has easily gone by . In this time, Draco has been actively improving his skills and knowledge by practice and experimentation.

That day, after Harry and Draco had aparated back to the Potter mansion, they sat down and had a deep discussion about what to do now. Ultimately coming to the conclusion that it was better for Harry to go back to the Dursleys and for Draco to stay at the Potter mansion. Before Harry had left , he had forcefully placed a strong barrier around the Potter mansion, dividing it from the entire world. It not only blocked the people from entering and leaving but also magic. It was like there were two worlds , one inside the barrier and another outside. No one knew what was on the other side. In short, Harry had placed Draco in absolute isolation.

Whilst Draco had made sufficient amounts of ruckus and arguments against it , it didn't stop Potter but instead made him further strengthen the barrier.

Harry had trapped him there. Albeit for his own protection . But still, he had locked Draco in a place where only Harry could be able to see him.

_' Where only I can see him …. '_ were the words in Harry's mind . It was such a wonderful picture . Draco , in his house , waiting for him to come back home, Beautiful and soft only for him . This fantasy was immensely pleasurable even in just imagination.

For a second , Harry's hand wavered and his magic crackled as if rethinking their actions, as if correcting their actions. Maybe to stop this horrifying and twisted heat rising in his chest , maybe to make his fantasy into reality.

Harry can do it easily. Just change a single word in the spell he was uttering and Draco will be his forever.

But no….

A caged canary will always fly away when given the chance. He wants the canary to jump in the cage itself, he wants Draco to willingly become his captive , his possession.

That day Harry had a peculiar aura around him. An aura that gave Draco chills down his back but at the same time made his entire body so sensitive, so aware of him that being in the same room as him seemed impossible. To Draco, Harry seemed enchantingly suicidal.

In the following days, Draco had tried his best to treat and help the comastat headmaster to no effect. Days were going busy and lonely for Draco . Everyday he used to practice his potion making skills , then read books and then practice dueling.He was striving to achieve his goal . To fulfill the promise he made to himself . He was going to become stronger , stronger than Harry . So that when he will be standing beside Harry, he won't feel that he was unworthy.

Unknown to him, on the other side of the world, a pair of emerald green eyes were weaving a painting of his pale skin and making plans to return to his side once again.

During this period, Harry was in constant contact with all the six people in their circle and things were going according to his plan.

The intel he got from Ron about what was happening in the Weasley household was far more useful than Harry initially thought. As written in the letter , Mr. Weasley and the order of pheonix were actively planning something. While Ron had no idea about what it might be, Harry did. As a result, Urgent letters were immediately sent to six awaiting recipients.

The order of Pheonix….. Huh ! What a fraud !!!

These people thought of themselves as experienced and learned in fighting the dark side , but have any of them ever had any encounter with Voldemort, with active death eaters ? Do they know the complexity and intensity of the situation ? While some of them might , most of them do not. Their plans not only disregard perfection and foolproof steps but also human life.

Harry couldn't let these 'i-know-everything you-know-nothing' fools ruin his plans. Even if his team was made of few and young , but they were smart and skilled with thorough vigilance and quick solutions. Most importantly, they are trustworthy. And right now, what Harry needs the most are trustworthy subordinates who will never betray and nor fool him. They will do his bidding perfectly and skillfully, without a glitch and without a mistake.

Afterall, talent and usefulness does not see age. A young student can be much more useful than a trained auror while an experienced minister can have a son with a brain worth thousands of his father's.

Couple of days passed and the Dursleys , who were frightened beyond recognition when they found out who was out to get the freak , quickly packed up and got ready to flee . In a single night , the house which was yesterday full and alive , now became empty and inhabited.

From the first storey window , Harry watched a jerky and scared man haphazardly putting suitcases in his car . He looked left and right , checking for any dangerous presence . As he confirmed that there was no one watching him , he gave one last look to the house behind before driving away .

As soon as the car disappeared, Harry, not waiting for the arrival of order of Pheonix, slowly turned around to silently pick up a packed trunk . He needed to leave as well or who knows when the uninvited guests will arrive ? He took a last look around to see if he forgot something, as he did so, there was no emotion in his eyes. They were cold and hard. They were the eyes of a victor.

A second passed and the one person still inside the desolated house disappeared as well, making it seem dark and haunted

* * *

A thud sound echoed as Harry appeared in front of a wide entrance . As he was getting up, a house elf popped beside him, professionally saying, " Master Harry , Welcome Back."

" Hmm" replied Harry , sparing the hardworking elf an approving glance . He had initially told the elf to not call him master but he insisted that it was a very important custom. Overthat, this elf was a very diligent one , even learning to correct the grammatical mistake in his speech. Harry didn't want to make him upset and so after that Harry never corrected him when he called him master.

Handing him the trunk, Harry faintly asked, " Where is Malfoy ?"

A curt answer was immediately heard, "Mr. Malfoy is in his room. Should I show Master Harry the way ?"

" Very well " Harry said before nonchalantly adding , "and from now on, call him Master Draco . Understood?"

Harry said this thinking that Draco is from a pureblood family and must be used to it . It is custom after all.

As the house elf heard this, his eyes comically grew wide . Calling Mr. Malfoy master ? But they only call their Lord as master. Other than the Lord only his Lady is called Mistress and no other ….

*GASP* A shocked sound was heard from the astonished elf.

Surely…. Master Harry does not mean that …… or does he ? So if master Harry is master and Mr. Malfoy is also master then Master Harry and Master Draco are….

As the elf dwelled in his chaotic thoughts , he didn't notice that Harry was still waiting for his answer .

" Understood ?" Emphasized Harry as he frowned .

" Y-yes, Master Harry !!" The house elf's voice was jubilant and cheerful. He was clearly very happy and walked with a slight skip and bounce in his steps.

Afterall, they now had another Master !! It was a very happy occasion ! Their Lord has found himself a sweetheart ! And Master Draco is such a cultured gentleman! And beautiful as well !!! He will surely make Master Harry very happy !!

As the elf again lost himself in his optimistic thoughts, Harry frowned thinking,' This elf surely is very skittish and unfocused '

Leading Harry towards the right corridor of the first floor of the mansion , The elf stopped before the wide mahogany doors carved with a medicore designs of flowers and plants . With a push, they slowly opened with a negligent creak.

The sight that greeted Harry was of a pale figure laying in the wide bed in the middle of the room. The beauty was deep asleep, his chest rising and falling gently , making the image as if inviting the spectator to cuddle and sleep beside him .

The soft morning light shone through the fluttering white curtains, casting an enchanting hue of soft white on the bed.

Harry slowly walked to the bed and seated himself beside the celestial beauty. His eyes were impossibly soft and filled with love. His fingertips brushed against silken platinum strands splayed on the pillow before following their trail to touch the forehead and eventually sliding down to palm the ruddy pale cheeks.

Harry's eyes were stuck on Draco, not wanting to miss even the tiniest trembling of his lashes and the quietest huff of his breath.

With his eyes not moving even an inch, Harry , not wanting to disturb Draco's sleep, asked softly, " How has he been ?"

The house elf answered honestly , accounting everything he knew , " Master Draco has been fine but very busy. Everyday , Master Draco will wake up exactly an hour after the break of dawn. After cleaning up and breakfast , he visits Mr. Dumbledore to check his condition before practicing new potions and spells with lunch and dinner in the middle .Master Draco has been working very hard, often skipping dinner and sleeping late. This servant wants to ask master Draco to retire early but does not dare to disturb him lest his spells and potions go wrong. Forgive this elf for not taking good care of Master Draco, Master Harry. This elf will take any punishment for his disability "

The elf's head dropped in illogical shame, but this is how house elves were. They put the care of their master first before everything else and will feel responsible even if the fault is not theirs.

Harry did not make much of this . He knew how stubborn Draco was. The house elf had no chance of making Draco listen to him. So Harry easily threw a reassurance that it wasn't the elf's fault before dismissing him. Afterall , he is here now, it's obvious that Harry will personally look after his precious darling.

As Harry sat beside Draco , gazing at his sleeping form, He himself felt his exhaustion creeping up on him. The past months have been hectic for him. Not to mention that the magic he used that day at the astronomy tower was immense and still hasn't recovered. Over that, aparating a distance as large as he did tonight is quite tiring as well. A good sleep with a warm and soft Draco in his arms can never feel better , it will only feel the absolute best.

Swiftly changing his clothes into his nightwear , Harry unhesitatingly slipped inside the covers . Willing his magic to draw the curtains tight , Harry scooped the lithe body in his arms as darkness fell on both of them.

A content sigh escaped Harry as the warmth of slumber shrouded them. Soon, two even and deep breaths entangled with each other. A larger body protectively curled around the smaller and slimmer body in his arms.

Anyone seeing this scene will inevitably want to tattoo it into their memories so as to remember that the strong and powerful Lords that they will become in the future were once these young men, scared but brave, suffering but together, weak but becoming stronger with every breath.

* * *

Draco, who was leisurely swimming in clouds , suddenly felt a stick poking him.

_' A stick ?? There are no sticks in the sky . And I am in the sky …..'_ Draco thought sitting in a cloud in the expanse of blue skies, happily floating. Looking down he saw that there was nothing here. So he again lay down to look at the sky above.

_*Pock*_

Draco silently ignores . There were no sticks here . It must be his illusion.

After some time, _* pock pock*_

Draco restrained himself from looking down as he ignored whatever it was again.

• • •

_*PocK PoCk pOcK *_

_' Ignore . ignore . IGNORE , Draco ! You are a Malfoy and Malfoy's don't get bothered because of stupid pocking sticks!'_

• • •

_*POOOCK*_

A furious hand angrily dashed forward to wrap around the stupid offending stick.

" AAHhh !!" a shout sounded beside Draco's ear and he was so startled that his hand subconsciously tightened.

**Squeeze...**

And the shout behind him abruptly stopped.

_' Hmmm. Now it's nice and quiet '_

A pair of silver eyes slowly opened as another pair of wide green eyes and gaping mouth entered Draco's vision.

_' Huh??? '_

Draco slowly blinked . Maybe it was the dirt in his eyes. But the green eyes were still there, but now looking down with an utterly scared gaze as if seeing death. Curious as to what the eyes were so frightened by, Draco looked down as well .

_' it's nothing. It's just my hand squeezing a stick inside the pants . What's there to be scared of ? '_

Just his hand squeezing a stick inside the pants , that's right. Just….his..hand.. squeezing……..a stick ….. inside ….the ……………….pants

A stick inside the pants….

**A stick inside the pants !!!!!**

" AHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!"

A shout louder than the whistle of Hogward's express rang around the room. Draco pushed an unguarded Harry right down the bed. His eyes were wide in horror as he shouted , " What are you doing here ?!! How dare you make me touch that ??!! HOW DARE YOU ??! "

_' M-my hand ! I-i touched his thing with my hand !!! No ! No! Can I cut it off ? Will it regrow somehow ? '_

In his internal crisis , Draco totally forgot Harry but was drawn back to him by the pained whimper heard from the bedside floor.

Peeking down , he vengefully said, " What the fuck were you doing here ?!! "

" Sleeping " came the whimpering answer.

" Sleeping ? SLEEPING !? BUT WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING BESIDE ME ?"

" The other room was not ready to use "

The silver pair of eyes narrowed in suspicion. " Really ?"

How is this possible ? The house elves regularly clean the whole mansion. How can it be possible that in such a huge mansion there is not a single place for him to sleep ?!?!

" Yes "

" What if I call the head elf and ask ?" Draco said, still not believing him.

" Go ahead. I am a respectable man. How can I lie to you ?!" A disbelieving and wronged expression on his handsome face. But Draco didn't even spare him a glance.

" Jarvis !!!" Draco immediately called and the house elf who escorted Harry here popped up.

" Yes, Master "

In his anger Draco didn't realise the change of address and continued.

Eyes still trained on Harry for any sign of falsehood , he asked , " Was there no other place in the mansion for him to sleep yesterday ?"

Silence prevailed . No answer came back and Draco doubtfully turned his head to the elf , asking forcefully, "were there or not?! "

Jarvis was in an eternal paradox. Actually every room in the mansion was clean and tidy, ready to use. But Master Harry clearly wanted to sleep with Master Draco, so Jarvis never bothered to ask. He had a cliff on one side and a valley on the other. He cannot lie to Master Draco but if he told the truth that Master Harry will be furious .

From behind Draco , a pair of menacing green eyes shone as if saying , " Answer carefully if you want your head on your shoulders"

Jarvis took a deep gulp as cold chills swept his tiny body.

Fat drops of sweat dropped down his forehead. What to do? What to do ? Listen to Master Harry or Master Draco ? If obeyed Master Draco then Master Harry will surely know . But if obeyed Master Harry then Master Draco might not find out…..

" Yes , all the other rooms in the mansion are dirty and untidy. This elf didn't know that Master Harry would be coming back so this elf didn't clean. Please punish this elf !!" The shrill voice hurriedly said and a good natured smile graced Harry's face, totally antonymous from the glare a minute ago .

" See .. there were really no rooms . And what is such a big deal if I slept with you ? We are both men, aren't we?" Harry said with a very convincing tone, turning and twisting the entire ordeal.

"But......." Draco frowned , Harry was right but somehow it didn't feel…. appropriate. It felt as if a smelly pervert peeking at a pretty young maiden bathing.

Not letting Draco speak , Harry added again, " And it wasn't even my fault…. It was you … who was squeezing here and there "

A bashful look rose on Harry's face , albeit fake but Draco didn't know that, and he remembered the weird feeling in his chest.

_' squeezing here and there….'_

A dread rose in Draco's heart as he looked at Harry's face and lowered eyes. Eyes wide in horror , Draco ran out of the room tripping and falling . Like this Draco entirely forgot what he was going to say and ran in a flustered manner.

Such a clever technique to save oneself, isn't it ? Our golden boy sure is worth of being a snake, an especially venomous one .

As Draco ran out, the bashful look in Harry's face faded and a mischievous and scheming smile rose. Blissfully and with a heart filled with sugar , he generously told Jarvis, " Expect a rise in your paycheck this month. "

A grateful smile rose on Jarvis's face as he popped away.

Harry leisurely got up from the floor to get himself clean. Draco will be coming back soon , his clothes were still in this room and definitely won't spend the whole day in his sleeping robes. He could have waited for Draco to come back but why further aggrievate an already puffed up kitty ? Instead, Harry will lure the kitty out with treats and sweets.

Getting ready, he made his way to the dining hall and seated himself in one of the chairs.

In front of him, the simple and ample dishes of warm freshly baked bread , boiled eggs, cheese , fruits etc. were kept. It was a medicore and filling breakfast, giving good amounts of energy to go through the day and a healthy dose of nutrients and vitamins as well.

Harry didn't immediately start but patiently waited for the kitty to come out of his cave.

His wait didn't go to waste as soon Draco, who saw no hope of Harry leaving before he came, walked in the dining room and sat in the chair opposite of Harry.

His behaviour was confident and relaxed as if nothing happened but Harry didn't miss the jittery and unsettled gleam in his eyes.

_' So adorable '_ Harry thought.

As soon as he sat, Draco didn't say a word and started to fill his plate. Breakfast with friends was never an uncomfortable occasion for Draco, he had gotten used to it at Hogwards. But breakfast with Harry Potter staring right at him , whether at Hogwards or anywhere else, was very uncomfortable. While he wanted to ask him to stop staring , he couldn't. This was the Potter mansion and Harry was his host. Disrespecting his host did not sit well with his manners , neither with his principles. So Draco beneath the heavy gaze, continued his breakfast. He had been under worse eyes, Harry Potter was comparatively easy.

…….

His thoughts took a 180° change after some time. It was positively unnerving and even swallowing the bite in his mouth was difficult. The pressure the stare gave was incredible .

Harry was silently observing Draco as he squirmed and sweated beneath his eyes. It wasn't that he was intentionally doing this, but a chance to freely stare at Draco without disturbances and questions was rare . Harry wasn't just going to let it slip.

Something about Draco just drew his whole body in. He was just so attractive. Even in a crowd of millions, Harry was sure that his eyes would automatically find Draco . It won't even take him a second. It was as if Draco was glowing.

_'Just like how an animal can smell it's prey from miles'_ Harry thought. The analogy suited them rather well , doesn't it ?

Time passed and as Draco was about to finish the last of his breakfast, when Harry said, "How have you been?"

The question somewhat shocked Draco but he still answered, " I have been well. What about you and everyone else ? Has there been any progress? any important information ?"

" Yes. That is precisely the topic I was going to talk about "

" What is it?" Draco asked, now vigilant and focused so as not to miss anything.

" The letter from Ron." Harry said while taking out the letter he bought along , keeping it in the middle of the table." They are planning something. Apparently, the order of Pheonix had their meetings in the Weasley household in the past week, which went on for quite some time. And after ending , the faces of all the members were gloomy and serious. Must be something of importance "

As Harry continued, Draco leaned forward to take the letter . Reading it, a frown marked his forehead .

" Any clue to what it is ?" Draco asked.

" I have an inkling "

" What ?"

" Right now, there is only one target the dark side has left after Dumbledore's death "

Draco's face immediately became glum. He understood Harry's implication. Now that they have assassinated Dumbledore , the only threat to the dark lord is Harry.

" I think we should start our journey as soon as possible " Draco said .

" Great minds think alike ,don't they ?" Harry said , a slight laugh in his voice. " We will be leaving today at sundown. So make necessary preparations"

Harry slowly rose , ready to make his half of preparations as well but suddenly remembered something and said, " And we will be using muggle means. So be ready "

Draco was shocked , " what ? Muggle transport ? Why?"

As Harry walked out , he left a faint sentence , "Patience , Malfoy. Patience.."

Draco slumped back in his chair. When can he finally make sense of that idiot's word ? That man has been putting his brain in tangles since he was eleven and now, even more so .

Draco was ultimately worried about his IQ, fearing that any more of Potter's company can harm it drastically. He was already feeling some of the symptoms. Ahhhh….he really needs to get out of here.

And so as the sun disappeared behind the top of the buildings , two normal and inconspicuous teenagers with each a huge bag on their shoulders suddenly appeared in a dark alley beside a busy and bustling street.

As they walked out , and seamlessly blended in the crowd, Harry looked at his side towards Draco and moved forward to tightly hold his hands.

The two soon disappeared in the hustle of the street, leaving no traces that they were there.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers,
> 
> How you like that ?! ( Blackpink your area !)
> 
> Sorry !! So how do you like the chapter ? Did you like the scheming Harry ? the fluff? The comedy? 
> 
> What did you think about Harry's view on the order of Pheonix ? 
> 
> Answer in the comments, pals.
> 
> **Have a nice day !!!! See u next time !!!**
> 
> -Miss Extraordinaire


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